The president of the Generalitat, Ximo Puig, has advanced in Les Corts that, during the month of June, which will be "key" in the vaccination process, 1,3 million doses will be administered, which will make it possible for at least the 55% of the Valencian population to be vaccinated has already, at least, the first inoculated pattern, and that around 30% are fully immunized.
Puig has indicated in the control session that the Valencian health system has been able to take on the challenge of mass vaccination, something that is also reflected in the fact that, so far, more than 1,7 million Valencians have received at least a dose.
The president has also announced 6.500 new hires for the reinforcement of health personnel for this summer, which will be mainly aimed at Primary and Emergency Care in tourist areas and the vacation plan. In parallel, the Department of Universal Health and Public Health will renew 6.050 COVID reinforcement contracts until December 31, with an investment of 140 million euros.
The total investment of Health to activate the vacation plan and the summer reinforcement plan amounts to 64 million euros.
Specifically, the vacation plan has planned an investment of 59,6 million euros, which is 1,9 million more than the previous year, for the hiring of more than 6.000 professionals who will cover the vacations of public health system personnel in the period between July 1 and September 30, and the summer reinforcement plan, aimed at reinforcing the areas with the highest tourist influx, involves an investment of 4,5 million euros, destined to the hiring of about 500 professionals.
Estimates for the tourist season
Before the start of the tourist season, Puig has also advanced that, according to the estimates of Turisme Comunidat Valenciana, the opening of borders and the recovery of international travel could mean the arrival of more than two million tourists from other countries between the months June and September, "more than double that of last year."
As for state tourism, the forecast is to exceed the data from last year by 500.000 and reach almost 7 million visitors residing in Spain.
The president pointed out that the Community is "facing a new scenario in which Spain has opened its borders to foreign tourism and with the expectation that the United Kingdom will lift the restrictions on traveling to Spain".
In that sense, he recalled his meeting with the British ambassador to Spain, Hugh Elliot, this week to convey the request that the United Kingdom territorialise the conditions for moving in Spain and take into account the good epidemiological data of the Valencian Community.
On the fast track to economic and social recovery
Puig has pointed out that the sacrifice and responsibility of Valencian society have made it possible to stop COVID-19 in the Valencian Community and place it as the territory with the lowest incidence in Europe, which makes it in the best conditions to face the start of the season summer and lead the economic recovery.
"All this effort prior to any recovery has already placed us on the fast track of economic and social recovery", together with the territories that will lead growth and employment in 2021, said Puig, who has referred to the projections of the main financial and economic analysis entities that prove it. In this sense, he alluded to the BBVA report, which places the Community in prominent positions in economic growth and job creation.
In addition, he recalled that they also provide evidence that the Valencian Community has withstood the impact of the pandemic better than other territories, organizations such as Airef, which in its latest report on the evolution of GDP during the first quarter of 2021, establishes that the economy Valenciana, despite the third wave and the protection measures adopted, resisted better than the Spanish. In fact, it was one of the four communities where GDP grew. In particular, it was the third that grew the most in the first quarter (0,33%) of this year, while in Spain it fell by 0,5% and in Madrid, by 1,2%.
In addition, it has also pointed out that between April 2020 and April 2021, unemployment grew less in the Region than in Spain (1,8%, compared to 2,1%) "and much less than other territories: seven points less than Madrid". And he has also appealed to the fact that in April, Social Security affiliations grew for the first time after a 12-month decline, with an increase of 4,4%, compared to the average for Spain (3,2%).
Puig has provided other data such as the behavior of foreign trade between January and March, a period in which the Valencian Community was the second most exporting autonomy in Spain, and led the 'ranking' of creation of export companies in 2020 in the agri-food sector. In addition, the Industrial Production Index, as recalled, increased by 19,5% in March 2021 compared to the same month in 2020, four points above the average (15,1%), according to official data from the INE , and, so far this year, it is the fourth that has grown the most, above Madrid.
