The Government incorporates Canarias into the crisis cabinet and guarantees that the operation of the cruise ship affected by the health emergency will not affect the local population

The Government confirmed this Wednesday the incorporation of Canarias to the crisis cabinet activated by the health emergency related to the cruise ship and assured that there will be no contact between passengers and the local population. The Minister of Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, defended that the action responds to a request from the World Health Organization and described the situation as “complicated but controlled”. For her part, Minister García affirmed that the Executive maintains permanent contact with the Canarian Government and announced that all medical tests for Spanish citizens will be centralized in the Central Defense Hospital Gómez Ulla.

The inclusion of Canarias in the crisis cabinet comes after the open political clash with the regional president, Fernando Clavijo, who had demanded greater coordination and information from the central Executive regarding the management of the emergency. From the Government, they insisted this Wednesday that there has indeed been permanent communication with the Canarian Executive and defended that all decisions adopted respond to health and security criteria established within the European mechanism for responding to international crises.

Grande-Marlaska also stressed that the operation is being carried out under international supervision and recalled that it was the WHO itself who requested to activate the assistance protocols. Meanwhile, Health wanted to send a message of tranquility to the Canarian population guaranteeing that the passengers will remain completely isolated and that there will be no interaction with local residents during the operation. The Executive maintains that the transfer of the tests to Gómez Ulla will allow concentrating the analyses in a center with sufficient military and health capacity to face a situation of this type with “all guarantees”.