The Canarian Government has announced a voluntary scheme for island businesses which will allow them to increase their capacity and opening hours by asking customers to prove they have been vaccinated, Covid tested or have recovered from Covid.
The scheme comes into effect on 10th December, and will initially run until 15th January. It applies to bars, restaurants, hotels, and any other businesses that face restrictions in capacities and opening times under the Covid rules.
Joining the scheme means those businesses will be able to operate at a level lower than applicable to the island. For example, Lanzarote is currently in level 1 of restrictions, so that would mean they can operate at full capacity both indoors and outdoors, without restrictions on opening times. For Fuerteventura, which is currently in level 3, they can operate as though the island is in level 2.
The government will make an app available, COVID SCS reader, which business owners can downloaded free, which will scan QR codes on certificates, or people’s phones. The app doesn’t store any data about customers, it merely confirms that the customer is either fully vaccinated, recovered or has had a COVID test within the last 48 hours. A web version of the app can be found here: Lector Covid.
The health minister said that this “allows businesses and people to maintain economic and social activity, due to the creation of safer spaces in which the transmission of the virus is less likely, giving a greater benefit for the general interest of the population in a moment of increased transmission of infection.”
Customers, to gain access to establishments, can show a QR code either digitally, or on paper, which proves they are either fully vaccinated, have recently had a COVID test, or have recovered from COVID.