The GSD says it welcomes the publication of Unlock the Rock, the Government’s route map out of lockdown.

The document provides a broad initial strategy and timescales to transition to a new normality in managing COVID19 and its consequences until such time as the public health emergency is over.

The Leader of the Opposition Keith Azopardi said:

“We have been working with Government on this document for some time to try to agree as much of it as we can and to improve the ideas and strategy within it. This is in line with our efforts to work together in the public interest. This is what Gibraltar needed when this crisis arrived and it is not over yet.

“We do not agree with every single word or idea in this document but it is a good way forward to try to see the return of social, commercial, sporting and cultural activities.

“Some of the technical and practical details to make these plans work will need further planning and discussion with various sector groups – especially in relation to business practices of returning sectors. If need be the plans should be modified to facilitate commercial needs where this does not conflict with public health advice.

“We welcome the phased plan to restore individual and commercial freedoms. Those restrictions can only be lifted if we are able to maintain the control of COVID in Gibraltar.

“At the moment we have been successful and are going in the right direction. But the overall direction of travel set out in the Document is only possible if the cases in Gibraltar remain at manageable levels that do not put undue strain on our health service. That is why we should not be complacent either. While the return of individual and commercial freedoms is welcome people should enjoy these in a responsible and cautious way.

“We need to avoid a second spike that risks our returning to further lockdowns. That is a reality we will need to live with for some time so we all need to make it our civic duty to responsibly adhere to the need for new norms of behaviour. This will improve our chances of emerging from this in a way that is better than originally feared.

“As the Chief Minister said during the publication of the strategy document, we have agreed to disagree on the Line Wall Road and Chatham Counterguard proposal. We disagree with the Government on the methodology, implementation and consultation mechanisms adopted for these schemes as explained in our previous public comments. We do not think these should be implemented on 1 June 2020 as announced.

“We will continue our constructive engagement with Government on COVID issues while ensuring we robustly test issues of policy that arise not just in respect of COVID but generally. In that context it is also important we get down to Parliamentary business as soon as possible and we would expect that as from the June session of the House there will be more focus on other non-COVID issues.”