Laurence Dollimore
ANDALUCIA has announced plans to give ‘licences’ to anyone vaccinated against COVID-19 from December 27 onwards.
Junta president Juanma Moreno said the plan was to make events and travel safer in the future by knowing ‘who has been vaccinated and who has not’.
“Of course no one will be forced to get the jab, but if someone is going to want to go to sporting or cultural events or travel, they will have to be vaccinated,” Moreno said.
It was not made clear when the vaccine cards would be required to be shown, but the comments will no doubt act as an incentive for mass vaccination in the new year.
It comes as the most populous region has asked for 20% of the Pfizer vaccines set to arrive in the country next week.
Moreno wants the vaccine to be distributed among the regions by population sizes – despite Andalucia having the second-lowest incidence rate of the virus currently.
Speaking on the Ana Rosa show on Telecinco last night, the Partido Popular leader said there are two centres in Sevilla and Granada which will distribute the vaccine across the region.
“The only thing we need to know is the date, time and the number of vials we are receiving,” Moreno said, warning of ‘controversy’ if they are not handed out according to population numbers, as has been done among the EU states.
But Spanish Health Minister Salvador Illa has not yet confirmed that that will be the case in Spain.
“It should be the only criteria,” said Moreno, “I don’t want to imagine some regions getting more vaccines than others based on other justifications or motives.”
