Yesterday, 6 December, the Christmas lights were alighted in Seville without any previous warning. This surprise to the citizens of the Andalusian capital was also motivated from practical considerations, on the occasion of the implementation of a new system of pedestrian traffic control that would try to make holiday shopping and mingling more orderly and in line with the sanitary regulations in place.
The plan will unfold in two steps
The Seville City Council informed that this new plan, which will involve the placing of 100 Local and National Police officers in the central area of the city, was deemed necessary in view of the wish to provide a semblance of the traditional holiday activities for families, while also minimizing the risk of COVID-19 contagions.
The specific area in question refers to Avenida de la Constitución which will be converted to have a two-direction pedestrian flow in order to avoid the unnecessary inter-mingling. And as for the Sierpes towards Campana and on Tetuan towards Plaza Nueva, only one-way pedestrian traffic will be allowed.
Areas that are traditionally known to experience larger agglomerations of people will be watched over by drones. This technological intervention will allow the Police to respond faster in case of excessive concentrations of people.
The second step of the initiative, called the Special Mobility Plan for Christmas, will launch on 17 December and will go until 5 January. During that period, the whole of the central area will be cordoned-off with 14 entry points, manned by police officers. This will allow them to better manage how many people are present in the area.
Furthermore, the audiovisual spectacles at the Plaza de San Francisco have been cancelled and Christmas lights will be lit every evening between 6:30 pm and 10:30 pm – allowing to coincide for the possible extension of shops’ working hours. The Andalusian Government is thinking of extending non-essential shopping hours during that period, although the night curfew of 10 pm will likely remain in place.
Source: TheMayor.EU
