News

Formentera presses public transport concessionaire to activate summer routes

Wednesday, 15 July 2020 15:29

The Formentera Department of Mobility highlights current mobility demands as the motive behind its appeal to the island’s public transport contractor, Autocares Paya S.L., to start operating summer lines from Friday 17 July.

Local government asked the transport company to assure the same routes and timetables as those active in May and October 2019. The department announced that weekly updates from the firm on usage data would be used in once a week stock-takings regarding whether service increases were in order.

The department additionally indicated that, per the terms of the concession contract which was accepted by the firm, extended until 21 December 2020 and still valid today, failure to produce the reports would open the door to fines for the company.

Unfolding covid-19 crisis
A scaling back of the service had previously taken place against a backdrop of emergency orders in response to the covid-19 crisis, sagging ridership and the vicissitudes of public health. With the 21 June lifting of the state of exception and the conclusion of phase 3 of the “Plan for Transition towards the New Normality” (Pla per a la Transició cap a una Nova Normalitat), the Consell de Formentera believes that standard service should be progressively reinstated. Today, buses service a route combining lines L1 and L2.

In the words of mobility conseller Rafael González, “immediate improvements of the public transport service are crucial to meeting the mobility needs of islanders and tourists”.

15 July 2020
Department of Communications
Consell de Formentera

Formentera bids farewell to “Vidrio por Posidonia” with awards ceremony

Tuesday, 14 July 2020 14:16

foto 2020 vidre per posidonia 1 Formentera chief of environment Antonio J Sanz attended the official wrap-up of Ecovidrio’s “Vidrio por Posidonia” (Glass for Posidonia) campaign today at Camí de sa Guia. On hand at the gathering were Roberto Fuentes, regional director of the non-profit entity in charge of recycling, Ecovidrio, along with the Eivissa environment conseller, the coordinator of the non-profit ecological group GEN-GOB’s harbours division, and other figures and representatives from groups and sports clubs honoured at the event.

The island governments of Formentera and Eivissa, in collaboration with the town councils of Eivissa, Sant Antoni de Portmany, Santa Eulària des Riu, Sant Joan and Sant Josep, introduced “Vidrio por Posidonia” in February in a bid to build awareness among football clubs about the importance of recycling discarded glass containers.

A month before its placement on standby amid emergency orders, the initiative saw the installation of two football-shaped containers on the two islands and “Vidrio por Posidonia” decorations on bins near sports club facilities as a reminder to athletes, trainers and their families to recycle glass waste correctly.

Awards ceremony
According to the Ecovidrio director, 7,000kg of glass containers were collected over the course of the campaign, with benefits going toward the prizes handed out as part of the day’s ceremony. GEN-GOB, which works to promote conservation of posidonia meadows in the Pine Islands, was awarded €1,000 for diving gear.

Cheques valued at €200 for sports gear were also delivered to the following clubs for companion initiatives: Penya Independent de Sant Joan (“Vidre al contenidor”); CD Ibiza Islas Pitiusas (“Pitiuso de cor”); SD Portmany (social media promotion of “Vidrio por Posidonia”); Rapid CF (“Pinta el teu escut i recicla l’ampolla”).

Local environment chief Antonio J Sanz applauded Ecovidrio’s work piloting the campaign, which was conceived to educate young people in sports clubs about how crucial it is to recycle glass—“one of the materials with the highest effective rate of recycling”, noted Sanz, “meaning the ecological protection afforded by glass recycling is paramount”. “Who better than our two islands understands the importance of safeguarding a crucial resource such as Posidonia oceanica?” he asked.

14 July 2020
Department of Communications
Consell de Formentera

On view: TRES

Monday, 13 July 2020 18:40

Cartell 2020 Tres On the activities calendar for Festes de Sant Jaume 2020, the Consell de Formentera presents TRES.

The exhibition is the product of the dialogue between artists Enric Majoral and Jordi Sarrà and the island of Formentera—one that, years in the making, is based on friendship and mutual esteem.

For the next three weeks, two venues —the Sala d’Exposicions “Ajuntament Vell” and “Far de la Mola” Centre for Education and Culture— invite the public to visit two synchronous displays (visitors to the latter will have until autumn to make the trip).

Sant Francesc’s Sala d’Exposicions “Ajuntament Vell” does the honours with the first of two staggered openings. The gallery’s doors open at 7.00pm on Tuesday 14 July, with the show staying open during normal hours until Saturday 1 August. Doors of the “Far de la Mola” will open at 12 noon on Wednesday 15 July, and the exhibition space will remain open during normal hours for the next three months.

An accompanying catalogue contains graphics and text prepared by Maia Creus, who holds a doctorate in Art History from the University of Barcelona’s College of Geography and History and is a member of the Association of Art Critics of Catalunya (ACAC). Creus, Majoral and Sarrà are, together with designer Martín de Azúa, currently working on a book titled Enric Majoral: La joia expandida.

TRES, a production of Trampolí Mecànic with support from the Consell de Formentera, was curated by Manolo Oya.

13 July 2020
Department of Communications
Consell de Formentera

Formentera incorporates details on mandatory masks into retooled covid-19 educational push

Tuesday, 14 July 2020 12:35

Cartell 2020 anticovid part 2 The Formentera office of tourism unveiled today the revamped version of a campaign to educate tourists and remind islanders about the pillars of the local plan to stem the spread of covid-19. President and tourism consellera Alejandra Ferrer explained that “new rules requiring masks to be worn in the vast majority of public spaces meant we had to tweak our educational approach”.

“Protect Formentera, for you and for everyone!” is the slogan of the campaign highlighting the ground rules to stopping the spread of covid-19 on the island:

1. Mask must be worn
2. Members of different households must maintain a safe 1.5-metre distance
3. Frequent hand washing/sanitising.

A general infographic outlines the primary exceptions to the face covering rule while a second poster is geared toward minutia. Exceptions include beaches, pools, outside towns, during exercise and while eating or drinking, and the rule is not applicable for children under 6.

Educational posters can be found at display cases around the island, as well as restaurants, hotels and other establishments. Additional information is available on the tourism office website at formentera.es/covid. Text is in Catalan, Spanish and English in a bid to ensure the message reaches islanders and tourists alike. Commending the implication of both residents and business owners since the start of the public health crisis, President Ferrer called on the island’s visitors for similar assistance in the effort to keep Formentera safe: “The pandemic hasn’t gone anywhere, and a spike on our island could mean us starting all over again.”

As it did during the easing of lockdown restrictions, the Consell de Formentera has printed posters highlighting new guidelines in the wake of publication in the regional gazette, yesterday, of recently adopted measures on mobility, trade, restaurants and more.

14 July 2020
Department of Communications
Consell de Formentera

New enforcement guidelines for covid-19 containment in islands

Monday, 13 July 2020 15:09

foto 2020 regulacio covid Consell de Formentera president Alejandra Ferrer met today with the Balearic minister of public administrations, Isabel Castro, to discuss safety measures to prevent the spread of covid-19 on Formentera. Other attendees of the gathering included environment and inspections conseller Antonio J Sanz and chief of interior Josep Marí.

In the words of Formentera’s premiere, the Govern’s new orders, which come against the backdrop of the pandemic and are meant to ensure compliance with hygiene, distancing, face covering and other safety measures, “are as crucial as the coordination that’s emerging between forces of security, inspectors, lifeguards, Civil Protection and other volunteers”.

Ferrer pledged cooperation at every level of government, and voiced fresh praise for the responsibility displayed by islanders and island businesses that rallied to stem the spread of covid-19 on the island. “Now we’re asking our visitors to be responsible too”, she said. “Please, take heed of educational campaigns that will be ongoing.”

Castro, for her part, detailed the new Balearic guidelines on infractions of public health rules aimed at containing the pandemic. The minister said the goal was to develop “a unified and coordinated approach to enable expedited processing and resolution of fines for non-compliance with covid-19 rules”. “What we can’t abide is that a handful of irresponsible individuals jeopardise the fruits of a collective effort”, she said.

Offences and fines are classed as minor, serious and very serious based on the nature and circumstances of a particular infraction. Citing officers will also take into account factors like whether an individual deliberately violated rules, caused disproportionate damage or risk to public health, how many people were affected, if there were benefits to the offence in question, whether it was the first time, (if the offender is a business) the establishment’s place in the local business community and the nature of the business and commercial activity. Minor offences carry fines of €100 to €3,000; serious offences fines of €3,001 to €60,000 and very serious offences fines between €60,001 and €600,000.