News
The people’s paper ISSUE NO. 1853
7 - 13 January 2021
COSTA BLANCA SOUTH • WWW.EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM
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SOMETHING TO REMEMBER
VALENCIAN COMMUNITY vice-president Monica Oltra admitted that 2020 had been “painful.” Oltra, who is also spokeswoman for the Consell - equivalent to the regional government’s Cabinet – was speaking to the media following the year’s last weekly meeting. Asked to sum up 2020, Olta called it the “year of the pandemic” and a year to remember but also forget. “Nevertheless, it was a year when we discovered the importance of the invisible, of the sectors with a strong female presence and how it is essential to care for, to cure and nurture,” she said. “We have learnt about the importance of individual responsibil-
MONICA OLTRA: 2020 was painful but also a time to learn ity and how our actions can impact on the lives others, to the point of endangering the life of someone else.” Olta insisted that 2020 taught us that “what about me?” mat-
tered less than “what about us?” and discovering that collective and not individual solutions were required. The vice-president emphasised the significance of having ended
the year with a vaccine, which she described as a huge scientific achievement that highlighted the importance of science. “It should be more present in our Budgets and afforded more
social prestige,” Oltra admitted. She also insisted that in some respects 2020 had not ended on December 31. “We cannot lot our guard down and we have to go on fighting this pandemic,” she warned. Meanwhile, Ximo Puig, the Generalitat president had encouraging news for British residents who, as 2021 begins, are no longer European Union citizens. The regional government is introducing a helpline for Britons living in the Valencian Community to ensure that they have all the information they need regarding the new situation, Puig announced. He also revealed that he had asked the UK to increase its consular presence in the region to ensure that there would be no delay
in issuing the permits that will now be necessary when staying in Spain for more than 90 days. Puig expressed his “enormous regard” for the British community, who account for a third of all Britons living in Spain. “We shall continue providing all fundamental public services warmly and hospitably, applying the co-responsibility and reciprocity that are essential in these circumstances,” the Generalitat president said.