The surge in Covid cases in the Balearics is being closely monitored by the British and German governments, both of which are expected to respond to the situation over the coming days.
Over the weekend, for example, Germany put the regions of Catalonia and Cantabria on its travel red list due to Covid spikes - the UK, however, is not due to review its traffic light until July 15.
Nervous
Nevertheless, it was made clear yesterday that for those countries hoping to join the green list, they cannot have more than 20 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants, and the positivity test rate cannot exceed 1.5 per cent.
At the moment, both figures in the Balearics are much higher, and the hotel sector is getting increasingly nervous, as is the Balearic tourist industry as a whole.
Yesterday, the Balearic government approved certain restrictions that apply specifically to parts of Magalluf and Sant Antoni in Ibiza. These are the same as were previously applied to part of Playa de Palma and Arenal in Llucmajor. The number of people who can sit at a table in a bar or similar is limited to ten outdoors and six indoors.
There will be capacity limits of 100 indoors and 200 outdoors. Closing time, as everywhere else, will be 2am, so long as municipal bylaws permit this. Tourism minister and government spokesperson, Iago Negueruela, said at the post-cabinet meeting press conference yesterday that these measures are in order to contain the spread of the virus.
They come a few days after British holidaymakers started to arrive in Mallorca and Ibiza in some number because of the green watch list.
The minister added that the tourism of excesses decree - which only applies to parts of Magalluf, Sant Antoni, Playa de Palma and Arenal - prohibits practices that endanger the life, health and physical integrity of people.
The decree therefore limits ‘free’ alcohol in all-inclusive hotels to meal times.
Shops in these areas cannot sell alcohol between 9.30pm and 8am.
Alcohol promotion of a ‘hypersexual’ nature is outlawed.
Young people
In addition, Negueruela appealed to young people in the Balearics to show responsibility and to comply with Covid measures and municipal bylaws that prohibit “botellón” street drinking and gatherings.
Spain has seen a surge in coronavirus cases, notably among young people, despite the success of the vaccination programme.
Spain’s health minister Carolina Darias said the vaccine programme remained “the most powerful weapon we have”.
She added: “We’re at a stage of the pandemic when we’re getting closer and closer to the end, but we can’t let our guard down.
“We have to follow the rules.”
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We are never getting out of this. The politicians clearly have no idea about how the virus spreads, or how the Delta variant is more contagious but 20x less deadly. I was just starting to believe we would be free doing the summer…