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ARCHIVED - Los Alcazares hostelry sector demands the right to open
The reason they can´t is simple; the municipality has the third highest covid rate in the region at the moment over 14 days and the second highest over 7 days
The hostelry sector of Los Alcázares has been distinctly unimpressed by the decisión of the Murcian regional health authority not to allow bars and restaurants in the municipality to open due to the level of coronavirus cases locally.
Bar owners and those associated with the hostelry sector have been protesting in front of the town hall and in the streets, demanding the right to work, attracting the sympathy of many local international residents who are just as desperate to see the bars re-open as the owners themselves, the hostelry sector being such a core part of the community.
Comments on social media along the lines of “the streets are deserted here, how can we possibly have this much covid” are to be seen all over social media, but the reason the bars can´t open yet is simple: covid cases are too high.
Los Alcázares has 177 active cases, part of the 838 in the Mar Menor healthcare area, of which 33 are hospitalised and the remaining 805 patients in home isolation.
The decision whether to open the bars and restaurants in individual municipalities of the region is based on what is known as the accumulated incidence rate , AI rate, which is calculated based on the percentage of cases per 100,000 of the population. This rate of calculation removes the barrier of how many people live in a determined area as it works on a percentage basis.
The rate is calculated over a period of 14 days and 7 days, as it is very quickly apparent whether the situation is improving or not; if the 7 day rate is less than half of the 14 day rate, then the situation is improving as more people were ill in the 7 preceding days than in the last 7 days.
Los Alcázares currently has a rate of 359 cases per 100,000 in the last 7 days (58 new cases in the last week) and 681 per 100,000 over 14 days (110), so the situation has actually got worse in the last 7 days and the municipality has the third highest rate in the region for 14 days and second highest over 7 days.
In order for bars to re-open, the AI rate must be lower than pre-established levels:
For terraces to re-open 75% the accumulated incidence rate must be between 250 and 500 cases per 100,000 of the population throughout the last 14 days.
For terraces to open 100% the accumulated incidence rates over 14 days must be under 250.
Los Alcázares currently has a rate of 681 over 14 days and as the situation has deteriorated this week, is ulikely to be permitted to open its bars next week either.
Torre Pacheco is looking slightly more optimistic; although 75 new cases were reported in the last week, its population is more than double that of Los Alcázares, so its rate over 7 days is only 210 and over 14 days has 201 cases, a rate of 563, so if cases remain low, it is in a much better position.
San Javier is also nearly there; its 7-day rate is 230 and its 14 day rate 510.
San Pedro del Pinatar has a 7 day rate of 133 and and a 14 day rate of 274.
The situation is reviewed every Monday and every municipality is judged on the same basis, so there is no discrimination against Los Alcázares; it’s simply that the cases are too high and must come down before it is considered to be safe to permit the bars to re-open.
The target levels set by the WHO and national government for the virus to be considered under control are 25 cases over 7 days and 60 over 14.
The council has set up an online support for its hostelry sector.
But all we can do is wait until cases come down.