Junta issues Covid recommendations for Easter processions in Andalucía with masks, hand sanitiser and tests for the 'costaleros'

Everyone should wear a mask inside buildings and in crowded outdoor spaces and remember to use hand sanitiser, and the people carrying the floats bearing the religious images should do an antigen test no more than 24 hours before their procession begins. These are the main recommendations from the Junta de Andalucía for Easter, the first to be celebrated normally since the pandemic began.

The decision was made at a meeting on Tuesday, and at a press conference afterwards the Junta’s spokesman, Elías Bendodo, explained the guidelines for the religious processions during Holy Week, which begins on Sunday 10 April.

“Some important dates are coming up, like Easter and fairs, and we all want things to get back to normal. What I am asking for, in the name of the Andalusian government, is responsibility. And that means continuing to wear a mask, because it has been shown that this, together with vaccination and hand sanitiser, is the best way to fight the coronavirus,” he said.

As well as the masks, hand sanitiser and tests for the ‘costaleros’, Bendodo said the Junta is pressuring councils to provide enough public transport to prevent crowds building up around bus stops. No limit is being set for numbers of people in churches, “but we do ask that people use their common sense,” he said. “We deserve a normal Holy Week, but we must not drop our guard because the incidence of Covid is rising”.

Andalucía’s figures for Tuesday show that 6,568 people have tested positive in the previous four days, and 23 people have died. According to data from the Institute of Statistics and Cartography of Andalucía (IECA), the rate in the region is now 319.5 per 100,000 inhabitants, which is 9.5 points higher than on Friday. This rate is the highest since 1 March, when it was 339.3.