THE BEST FINANCE NEWS ON PAGES 14 - 17 Issue No. 1903
23 - 29 Dec 2021
Outdoor mask decree PRESIDENT Pedro Sánchez has announced to the auto‐ nomous regions that a de‐ cree will be approved today, Thursday December 23 to bring back the use of face masks in open spaces. The use of obligatory masks ended in June but is set to return. The previous decree required masks to be worn by all people above the age of six in public spaces and any enclosed space for public use or open to the public. Certain excep‐ tions were allowed for indi‐ viduals including those with respiratory difficulties, dis‐ abled people who could not use masks and those in‐ volved in outdoor sporting activities. Sánchez is reacting to the request of many regional presidents who have called for the return of facial cover‐ ings in reaction to the new spike in coronavirus cases. Leaders from Castile and Leon, Navarra, Andalucia, Castile‐La Mancha, Valencia, Galicia, the Basque Country, the Canary Islands and Cat‐ alonia have all backed the move.
AXARQUIA - COSTA TROPICAL • WWW.EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM
NATIVITY HONOURED
FREE • GRATIS
MUSCAT GRAPE TOURIST CENTRE
NEW FACILITY: Will be for the drying of grapes.
WELL-DESERVED: Neighbours’ nativity recreation rewarded.
ON December 19, the Living Nativity Scene (Belèn) of the Barriada de las Protegidas in the Plaza de Andalucía, was recognised with a plaque from the local council. The mayor of Ner‐ ja, José Alberto Armijo, the provin‐ cial deputy for Social Services, Lour‐ des Piña, the councillor for Popular Traditions, Elena Gálvez and the m a y o r o f t h e n e i g h b o u r h o o d , Ev a García, were all present for the cere‐ mony. The award was presented to the president of the residents’ associa‐ tion, José Miguel Ortuño, and the promoters of the Nativity Scene, Rocío and Noelia San Martín. It de‐ clares the scene as a Festival of Local Tourist Interest and a Fiesta of Provincial Tourism. This was ap‐ proved by the Diputación de Malaga at the request of the Nerja Town Council Plenary.
The mayor described the award as: “A very well‐deserved distinction that comes to recognise the effort and the great work that the association does for the neighbourhood. It is a source of pride to see so many neighbours involved in this Christmas activity.” The president of the residents’ as‐ sociation thanked the institutional support of the town hall and the Provincial Council through the decla‐ rations as a Festival of Local Tourist Interest and Provincial Tourist Singu‐ larity. “These recognitions encourage us to continue working and improving the Living Nativity Scene for future editions.” Visitors were able to enjoy the recreation of traditional scenes, such as the birth of Jesus thanks to more than 100 neighbours of all ages who brought the nativity scene to life.
THE Malaga Provincial Council has set aside funds for a tourist re‐ ception point for Axar‐ quia that will be devot‐ ed to the ‘drying of the grape’. The facility on the MA‐3114 (Mocline‐ jo‐Almáchar) will be adapted to show the various stages of grape drying. The intention of the re‐ ception point is to raise awareness and to inform visitors of the history and the cultivation of the Muscat grape that is grown in the area. Ac‐ cording to the Deputy for Development and Infras‐ tructure, Francisco Oblaré, this is the first step in creating a net‐
work of open classrooms or viewpoints that will make the industry more accessible to tourists and locals alike. The council will invest €153,114.75 in the cre‐ ation of the facility with funds from the Pro‐ gramme for the Promo‐ tion of Agricultural Em‐ ployment (PFEA). A further subsidy of €98,998.20 will be pro‐ vided to cover the salaries and social contri‐ butions for those in‐ volved in running the centres and in dealing with the public. It is thought that the first information point will provide work for up to 10 people.