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"Sadly, for both the economic and sentimental impact it will have on so many families in Seville, there will be no Feria de Abril again in 2021".
With these emotionally charged words, the mayor of Seville, Juan Espadas, confirmed a rumour that has been circulating for days and that just needed official confirmation from the city hall.
A press release has finally issued by the city council on Wednesday, following a meeting with regional health ministers to study and analyse the projected level of the Covid-19 pathogen in the population (seroprevalence) in 2021 and taking into account the "imminent" start of the nationwide vaccination programme. According to the latest National COVID Seroprevalence Study, the current level in Seville is 8.4%, whilst the projected levels for the months of April and May next year are around 30%, well below the 60-70% required to provide any kind of herd immunity, which would have allowed council officials to relax measures.
In view of this forecast, the press release concluded that "conditions are not right for Seville to hold an event like the Feria de Abril with the inevitable huge crowds involved and the impossibilty of enforcing safety measures" across the 450,000m2 venue, and confirmed the cancellation of the world-famous spectacle.
Meetings will now be held with representatives of the sectors most affected financially by the cancellation, in order to analyse how best to implement measures "that will minimise the impact" of the situation.
Whilst PP members of the council said they would support Juan Espadas' team in the organisation of parallel activities to "incentivise the industry sectors most severely affected" by the cancellation of the Feria and pledged to take "an active part" in the special committee created by the mayor to deal with the problem, they also emphasised that the priority had to be to "safeguard people's health".
Ciudadanos spokesperson, Álvaro Pimentel, acknowledged that it was "a very difficult decision to take", but also agreed that it was the "responsible" option and promised his party's support for any economic initiatives aimed to help those most affected.
The Coronavirus pandemic will go down in the annals of Feria de Abril history: since it was first held in 1847, the only other time it has been cancelled for two consecutive years was between 1937 and 1939 because of the Civil War.
Apart from the enormous emotional blow to the city, which will once again have to forego its most important fiesta, the cancellation of the week-long event will be a second major financial blow to the numerous sectors involved: those who set up the temporary marquees, fairground owners, hoteliers, flamenco fashion houses, accessory retailers, hairdressers, dry cleaners, florists, wine producers... And not without good reason: according to a study by the University of Seville, the Feria generates in the region of 900 million euros for the city in just seven days - equivalent to 3% of the city's GDP.
It is now expected that the famous Holy Week processions will also be cancelled, although the decision in this case has to be a joint one between the city council, the archbishopric and the council of brotherhoods.
ANOTHER hotel in the series of 16 planned for Estepona's 'Garden of the Costa del Sol' project has opened – this time in the central Plazoleta Ortiz, with 36 bedrooms.