The Covid numbers on the island are rising again, in a sixth wave from which the southern municipalities are still escaping, but they are already evaluating their future prospects
Covid-19 has once again taken an upward trend since last October 15, a date on which cases have not stopped rising. With a daily average of nearly 200 positive cases, the islands are already facing what seems like the sixth wave of the pandemic. In Gran Canaria, 37.819 accumulated cases have already been registered, with 637 active and 346 deaths. The 7-day incidence is 44,3 and 14 is 80,19 cases per 100.000 inhabitants. In the southern part of the island, Ingenio does not add cases, with 3 active; Mogán has no new cases, with 6 active; San Bartolomé de Tirajana has 4 with 60 active; and Saint Lucia adds 3 new cases, with 22 positives at this time.
The highest incidence in the south of the island corresponds to the population volume, with Saint Lucia leading the way with 1.125 accumulated cases, followed by Saint Barthélemy with 955 positives since the start of the pandemic; Ingenio has 382 cases in the accumulated, Mogán 305 and Agüimes, 209. Even the most affected are far from the figures of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, with a cumulative of 32.838 cases according to its largest population, and which has added up to day 74 new cases. In the south of the island, a total of 15 people have died due to the virus, with San Bartolomé de Tirajana accumulating 7 of those deaths due to Covid, followed by Santa Lucía with 4, Agüimes with 2 and Mogán and Ingenio with one each.
However, although they have not been the municipalities most affected by the virus, they have been economically affected. Millionaire losses in San Bartolomé and Mogán with the impact of zero tourism and a slow recovery where they will also be at the forefront. The most optimistic expectation of the Government of the Canary Islands, according to its October 2021 report, is to recover foreign tourism to pre-Covid levels in November 2022, in a constant rise although with peaks since last January. So far, it has been possible to return to 70% occupancy in hotels in the south of Gran Canaria in October and to recover, and even increase by 9%, air connectivity seats with the island.
This sixth wave is expected to be less harsh in terms of hospital occupancy, since the islands have 83% of their population vaccinated. The incidence will be determined, in large part, by the issuing markets and the need or not to establish the vaccination test in airports and hotels. Since the first week of October, the Covid certificate no longer needs to be presented in a back-and-forth debate between tourism entrepreneurs, public representatives and health authorities. The measure has not yet been decided although it is being considered as an option, since the rebound in cases is occurring among the population and not so much among visitors.