"Given the decision of the Autonomous Community by which they decide to keep Totana in phase 1 for another week, I want to express the following clarifications:I do not agree that the population closure measures continue, as they are not effective, generate excessive inconvenience and use resources that are necessary on other fronts of the problem.
This situation should not continue for another day and I have stated this to the regional authorities.We must focus our efforts and coordination on controlling quarantined people (positive or on observation) to help save them and reduce risks to the population, among other measures.
On the part of the city council and our resources have been and are at the service of the health authorities to coordinate and help in this objective.I maintain my loyalty to decisions based on objective epidemiological data and I am convinced that these measures "are not adopted to punish Totana" or other "conspiracy theories".
People's health is above other issues without forgetting economic or social problems.Throughout the health crisis, I have acted with the prudence that I think I should have and I will continue to do so.
Even when I have observed inconsistencies such as the organization when it comes to carrying out massive PCTs at the Totana Sur Health Center.
What I have had to express to the health authorities, I have done in the context of the reserve, as I think it should be between institutions.
Facing the pandemic was not written anywhere and it is normal for failures to occur everywhere.If in the previous days and even yesterday morning I launched messages with the conviction that we would go out of phase on Thursday (without assuring it at any time), it was because the meeting last Monday in San Esteban (with the President, Health Councilor and General Director Public Health), the data was good and we all agreed that there would be a good chance that the measures would be removed.
They never assured me, but there was evidence to think that this could be the case.The reasons that the health authorities gave yesterday in the meeting held in the plenary hall, from the point of view of prevention in the face of figures that have fallen, but are still very high, are reasonable.
But keeping the town closed these days is not an effective measure and the security forces agree with me (or I with them).It is only fair that the Regional Government adopt urgent and extraordinary economic measures that help Totana due to the serious damage to our economy, especially in small and medium-sized commerce and hospitality.
Just yesterday, at the last minute, I had a conversation with the Minister of Finance who told me of some measure to propose to those most affected.From the Intervention services they are specifying the amount of money that we can have after the Royal Decree published yesterday in the BOE to dedicate to alleviate this crisis and that will be approved by the Plenary, as requested by the opposition and I agree, too within the framework of the 2020 Budgets.During the morning of today we will continue to insist on the end of the closure of the municipality and that alternative measures are adopted to avoid unnecessary inconvenience to the population.We must not forget that the enemy is the virus.
Our responsibility or personal attitude is decisive to break it and overcome it, punishing whoever breaks the rules in an irresponsible way.I understand and assume that the people address and criticize whoever is closest to them, such as the mayor.
I am not going to ignore my responsibility, but it would be convenient to focus the problem and its possible solutions.
The ability to make decisions where it is ?.
The agreement to close Totana and all the measures that have been adopted so far are taken by the Regional Government, as in the first phase of the pandemic they were taken by the Central Government.The resources (legal and means) of the mayors are very limited and we can only collaborate in what is in our power, as we have been doing in Totana.Good Morning."Juan José Cánovas, Mayor of Totana
