Castalla closes the facilities and public buildings due to the increase of the Covid-19
- The City Council has implemented new measures and restrictions, effective until January 1, to bend the curve in the town and stop the proliferation of the virus
Castalla Town Hall has decided to close all public facilities and buildings for a period of 10 days, until 1st January 2021, in order to stop the proliferation of the Covid-19 in view of the increase in the incidence experienced in the town in recent days. The Mayor of Castalla, Antonio Bernabeu, has justified the new restrictions and has appealed to the “municipal responsibility to prevent the virus from spreading through our city in the current epidemiological situation”. The councillor specified that “at Christmas we must be even more prudent and prioritise health before the celebrations”.
As a complement, the Mayor recalled, “we recommend reducing the number of social gatherings as much as possible and complying with the regulations that the different competent authorities have approved in order to avoid the spread of the virus on such special dates that are approaching”. The Councillor for Health, Maite Gimeno, stressed “the importance of individual responsibility. Each one of us must use the mask, the hydro-alcoholic gel and respect the safety distance between people. It is the only way to take care of each other”.
Therefore, from today, the restrictions will affect the following areas. In Parks and Gardens, Castalla is closing down children’s playgrounds and recreational areas in the parks. As far as sports are concerned, the Town Hall has closed all sports facilities. This includes the pavilions, the tennis and paddle courts, the football pitch and the municipal swimming pool. In the area of Culture, the measures affect the computer and study room and, in the library, access will only be available for the loan of books and consultations. For its part, the Consistory has cancelled all cultural activities in the Auditorium and the House of Culture.
Planned tourist activities have also been affected. Firstly, it will not be possible to visit the Castle until the situation improves. In addition, neighbourhood, cultural, sports or other associations located in public spaces will also have to suspend their programming. In this respect, all events on the public highway will also be suspended and existing permits revoked.
Due to the dates we are in, the restrictions also affect the special programming prepared for Christmas, which was already adapted to the pandemic situation, to avoid the proliferation of Covid-19 and to respect health measures at all times. Therefore, the only activity in the festive calendar which is currently affected is the collection of letters, which will not take place.
Currently, according to the data provided by the Regional Ministry of Universal Health and Public Health of the Generalitat Valenciana, there are 45 active cases in Castalla, after the last update on 22nd December. For its part, the incidence is 444.49 per 100,000 inhabitants. However, according to the information that the Town Hall handles from Public Health sources, at this time the figures for those affected by the Coronavirus in the town would be higher, as the curve is in an upward phase. For this reason, in view of the increase in cases and the possibility that they will continue to grow, the government team has decided to act to bend the curve.
Castalla Town Council will meet again when this ten day period is coming to an end, on the 30th of December, to evaluate the evolution of the pandemic and the impact of the measures applied. When the time comes, the Corporation will again study the state of the pandemic in the town and the possibility of acting accordingly.
