Thanks to LANCELOT DIGITAL
The Minister of Public Works, Transport and Housing of the Government of the Canary Islands, Sebastián Franquis, announced today in the Parliament of the Canary Islands that his department took to the last Government Council a proposal to modify the preventive measures to face the health crisis that originated by COVID-19, to allow the taxis of the islands with the best pandemic figures, at alert level 1 and 2, to occupy all the seats in their vehicles. The proposal of the Ministry was approved and today it has been published in the Official Gazette of the Canary Islands (BOC) for its immediate entry into force. In this way, it responds to a request from the sector that demanded greater availability in their vehicles in line with the de-escalation initiated in the islands as a result of the advancement of the vaccination campaign,
The counselor Franquis recalled that last Friday, and on the occasion of the Canary Islands Land Transport Board, he already communicated to the representatives of the taxi sector the modification approved in the council on Thursday of the preventive measures to adapt them to the current reality, with a large sector of the population already vaccinated with the complete schedule and in full economic recovery of the islands. To promote this recovery in the taxi sector, it has been considered essential to allow the occupation of all places in these vehicles on those islands with the best figures in relation to the pandemic, in line with the rest of public land transport.
The proposal of the Ministry of Public Works, Transport and Housing approved by the council, and agreed with the sector, published today by the BOC stipulates that taxi and rental vehicles with driver on the islands at alert levels 1 and 2 may occupy all the places in their rows of seats. The caveat is introduced that the driver, at his personal discretion, may leave the passenger seat located right next to him empty and allow only the rear seat rows to be occupied. In the islands with the worst pandemic figures and therefore located at levels 3 and 4, the restrictions that were already in force are maintained, that is, two places occupied per row of seats and no one next to the driver, as a preventive measure and even that the health situation evolves favorably.
“We have had the sector very present in this health crisis. To the first aid established by this government, 3,136 taxi drivers were welcomed, out of 5,100 taxi drivers in the Canary Islands, approximately, with a departure of more than five million euros”, explained the counselor Franquis , “We have been sensitive in all collaboration and aid policies towards a sector greatly affected by the health crisis. To all this is added the collaboration of last year, of one million euros, for the control of the taxi fleet in the set of the Canary Islands “.
Regardless of the pandemic situation, at all alert levels all occupants must wear a mask and air renewal will be guaranteed: open windows or an outdoor air intake system. It is also not allowed to use the vehicle’s interior air recirculation function.
