Local politicians urge ministers to let the Costa del Sol go into Phase Two

The heads of the regional government and the provincial authority are worried that the Malaga area could be held back; the decision will be made on Friday afternoon

M.D. TORTOSA / A. ROMERO

Friday, 22 May 2020, 10:58

The president of the Junta, Juanma Moreno, said in the regional parliament in Seville on Wednesday that he was worried that Malaga and Granada provinces wouldn't be allowed by central government to go into Phase Two on Monday (25 May).

His Andalusian government has asked for Malaga province (including Costa del Sol) and Granada (including Costa Tropical) to move ahead to the next stage, despite having started the current Phase One a week later than the other six provinces in Andalucía.

The national minister of Health has said he expects all provinces to spend at least two weeks in each phase, which means Malaga and Granada may be held back until 1 June.

"Malaga and Granada lost some of their good name when they couldn't move into the first phase... even though they had better [health] data than some regions... and without knowing what the criteria were that held them back," said Moreno.

His thoughts were echoed by Francisco Salado, head of Malaga's provincial authority and the Costa del Sol tourist board.

Salado explained it would be hard to explain any discrimination and it would be harmful for the tourism sector. He added, "We believe that this classification in the de-escalation doesn't match the reality of the epidemic [here] nor the capacity of the provincial healthcare system."

The Government will announce the provinces moving into Phase Two later on Friday.

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