The Department of Health of the Government of Navarra, in contact and collaboration with the municipalities of Falces and Funes, will approve a series of extraordinary measures to stop the expansion of COVID-19 in these localities of the basic health area of Peralta. Since last week, cuts very similar to the previous ones have been in place, and from 00:00 on Wednesday, with a duration of seven days, they will also apply in these two municipalities.

In the last fourteen days, the two municipalities have a cumulative incidence of more than 1,000 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, as well as other indicators that have motivated this decision of the Instituto Navarro de Salud Pública y Laboral (ISPLN), which show an upward trend in the number and level of transmission of contagion.

The intervention takes restrictive measures affecting working hours, skills and the number of people in the groups, both in internal public and private areas (hospitality, commerce, sport, culture) and the limitations affecting the departures and entrances of the municipalities, as they are reserved for essential travel. The measures will be extended until 23:59 hours on 6 October and an analysis of the evolution of epidemiology and health will be carried out.

They will be approved by a foral order to be published today. In this sense, Falces, after Azkoin, is the second municipality with the highest cumulative incidence of fourteen days (1,598 cases per 100,000 inhabitants), while Funes has a slightly lower incidence, 1,393 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, but in any case high. This circumstance, together with that of Falces and Funes Peralta, has caused the tightening of the measures in both municipalities of the Ribera Alta de Navarra.

In addition to the cuts and penalties that may be imposed for non-compliance, the Department of Health and the municipal authorities will implement joint action with the citizens and social agents of both municipalities, which will coordinate the Foral Police, the Civil Guard and the Local Police to ensure the reduction of movement and compliance with the standards.

Bars until 22:00 and groups of six people

The measures include elements that have not yet been used in the "new normality" in Navarre, such as, firstly, the extension to the private sphere of the reduction of groups of more than six people, in force in the public sphere, and, secondly, the limitation of access to and exit to the city centre (not of the homes), excluding the displacements related to work obligations. Hospitality establishments, with a capacity of 50% (interior and terraces) must be closed at 22:00 hours, and can only be tables with groups of less than six people.

All these measures respond to an analysis of the typology of contacts and outbreaks, mostly social and family, and the Navarro Institute of Public and Occupational Health will carry out the corresponding epidemiological monitoring and evaluation to decide the next steps to be taken.

Regarding the sanctioning regime, the Foral Order refers to the already existing Decree-Law Foral 9/2020, which provides for sanctions of up to 3,000 euros in the case of the leves, and from 3,000 to 60,000 euros in the case of the grave ones.