María García, from the PSOE in Orihuela, has called on the councillor for emergencies, Víctor Valverde, to solve the problem with the hydroalcoholic gel dispensers that were installed in some parts of the city to prevent Covid-19 infections.

“We have been warning for months that the devices were not working in different locations. We were told that lack of use by the public was causing the gel to solidify and, therefore, it did not come flow. But it is not logical that it does not work because of the little use. Rather, we believe that it is the opposite, they are not used because they do not work”.

For García, if there really is a problem with the machine and the gel, “first they should have notified the company so that it can try to solve it; second, change the type of disinfectant gel, and third, to carry out maintenance on the devices so that they can be useful to the Oriolanos.

María García, from the PSOE in Orihuela

The socialist representative regrets that the town hall has taken “the easiest option: do nothing.” “In no way can we let this investment of public money remain inert in the street, especially when, unfortunately, its function is still very necessary to avoid infections in the middle of the sixth wave of infections,” she said.

The councillor recalls that it was announced that these machines would have an application so that it could collect data on the number of times it was used and in which locations it was used the most: “We do not know if the Department of Emergencies receives this data, because it could be very useful for locating those devices that need more attention in their maintenance ”.

Garcia maintains that this was “the only measure” that the government took to help prevent infections in the street, which involved an investment of more than 7,000 euro for the installation of nine dispensers.

The Socialist Group holds the local government responsible for “not acting as it should.” “It is true that they emphasised in their presentation that maintenance was minimal and that it would not cost money but we understand that it is better if they pay and they can be used before they become one more urban element that deteriorates over time”, she concluded.