Tourist sit at the terrace of a restaurant during the last day of Holy Week, in downtown Ronda

Tourist sit at the terrace of a restaurant during the last day of Holy Week, in downtown Ronda. | JON NAZCA

Humphrey CarterPalma20/04/2022 09:45
TW
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Are we being made to pay for a general lack of common sense and responsibility in a small part of the population? Now that masks are off inside and have been outdoors since February, the Balearics appears determined to maintain the ban on smoking on bar and restaurant terraces until next year when the new health law is drawn up and approved.
And, on top of that, it is now backing a move by the European Commission to increase the taxes on alcohol in a bid to create a healthier society and bring an end to youth binge drinking.

There is also talk of the legal age of being able to consume alcohol, which I presume will also include purchasing, being raised as well. For many people who have grown up in the lovely Mediterranean and are used to spending the best part of the year outdoors on terraces, these new restrictions will seriously alter some people’s lives and customs - and will come at a cost.

Mallorca is not cheap, but a quick cheap beer or glass of wine and some tapas could soon become a luxury, especially in Palma. After two years of the pandemic and most of our freedom having been curtailed at one point or another, much to the anger of a number of lawyers who claim the actions infringed our democratic rights, I sincerely hope that governments are not taking advantage of what we’ve been through to continue reducing our democratic right to choice.