This weekend will be a key test

This weekend will be a key test. | NILA GARCES

Jason MoorePalma12/05/2021 10:30
TW
0

The end of the state of alarm in Spain was greeted with street parties in Madrid on Sunday. Some eye-witnesses said that they had seen groups of people, not wearing face masks and no social distancing either. You would have thought that after being in lockdown for almost a year this sort of thing wouldn’t happen and everyone would try to be careful.

But no a small minority rather spoilt it for everyone else. I do feel that the Spanish government ended the so-called State of Alarm too early. A sizeable proportion of the Spanish population have still not been vaccinated and although the number of cases is in decline, there are still a far number of people still being infected.

In the Balearics the government was left with little choice but to allow bars and restaurants to open their terraces all-day. The curfew remains but within weeks that will be about it and bars and restaurants will be allowed to open their interiors. Too much, too fast? Well, I certainly think so.

Obvious, there are good economic reasons for ending the lockdown so quickly but I sincerely hope that come the autumn we are not told to go home again. I think the Spanish government are taking a big gamble and it is one which could easily backfire.

Spain is not out of the woods yet and by lifting the majority of the restrictions it could be said that the government is playing with fire. This weekend will be a key test...bars and restaurants all open all day with good weather.