Jason MoorePalma29/01/2021 12:20
TW
0

THE leader of the Balearic government, Francina Armengol, is a lady under pressure. Public opinion has started to turn against her at a time when she wants even more restrictions, such as bringing forward the curfew until 8p.m. and even ordering the lockdown of households. To be fair she says that she only wants these measures if the number of cases continues to rise which they are doing, notably in Ibiza and Formentera.

Armengol like most other leaders appears to have put her full faith in the vaccine and she believes that most people living on the island will have been vaccinated before the summer. Wishful thinking I would say when you take into account that the vaccine is already in short-supply and the vaccination programme has been postponed in Barcelona and Madrid. Hotel and restaurant staff are already on the war path with further protests being planned. Hoteliers have called on her to scrap the tourist tax and 75 percent of people say that her policies to combat the coronavirus don’t appear to be working.

Armengol is in a difficult position; what can she do, after all we are dealing with a global pandemic? To be honest bringing the curfew forward to 8p.m. will solve little. I think she could allow bars and restaurant to re-open their terraces as long as strict social distancing is in place and I think she could also lobby the Madrid government to give the islands priority when it comes to the vaccines because of the importance of tourism.