The Consell de Formentera reports that for two weeks starting today and in a measure aimed at containment of Covid-19, ferry service between Formentera and Eivissa will be reduced to a minimum. The new modified service will include ten daily trips in each direction, including early-morning and late-evening journeys.

As the island’s president, Alejandra Ferrer, pointed out yesterday, the latest measure is seen as both precautionary and useful for containment. Under minimum services, the transport of goods considered basic essentials is guaranteed, and all but strictly necessary personal travel is forbidden. The measure will make it possible to implement controls on arriving individuals, who, for instance, will be appraised of a range of recommendations to follow.

Checks of passengers arriving at port
President Ferrer insisted that individuals coming to the island would soon be subject to certain controls. Visitors travelling from affected areas will have their information entered into a database that the Consell de Formentera will use to monitor their condition. Travellers from at-risk regions will be urged to voluntarily self-isolate and public health authorities will monitor their case. Individuals with symptoms must follow the recommendations of health authorities.

Appeal to Armengol
After an address yesterday evening in which Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez declared a state of alert across the entire Spanish territory, Formentera’s chief policymaker sent a letter pointing out Formentera’s distinctly unique situation and calling on Balearic first minister Francina Armengol to see to it that the relevant authorities enact strict measures to control travel onto the island.

Furthermore, depending on how the health crisis develops and in an effort to ensure the safety and wellbeing of Formentera’s inhabitants, Ferrer said she wasn’t ruling out the possibility of making the island’s closure “hermetic”.

14 March 2020
Department of Communications
Consell de Formentera