The
OLIVE PRESS
FREE
A taste of freedom
MALLORCA
Your expat
voice in Spain
Vol. 3 Issue 79 www.theolivepress.es May 1st - May 14th, 2020
This is not Armageddon!
Photos by Allan Binderup
E IV US CL EX IT was a taste of what’s to come for parents and children at the weekend. Mothers and sons, dads and daughters headed out to take the air, pick wild flowers or stroll on beaches around Palma. On bikes, scooters, skateboards, roller skates or just
shanks pony, they met and chatted with friends on street corners and in parks, without fear of arrest or a heavy fine. Even better, from this weekend everyone will be allowed to exercise, as long as social distancing measures are kept. And, fingers crossed, the weather is meant to play ball!
Bitter sweet
Photos by Jon Clarke
Expat restaurateurs welcome four-step plan to recovery, but fear huge losses despite being able to open again in May
Mother of cancer victim Ashya King tells the Olive Press why she has left the Jehovah’s Witnesses and wants to move back to Spain with her family
See a mother’s moving interview on pages 6-7
UK BASED
TRAVEL INSURANCE for Spanish residents www.globelink.co.uk 96 626 5000 +44 (0) 1353 699082
A WAVE of uncertainty has descended across Mallorca after Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez revealed his four-step de-escalation plan to get life back to ‘a new normal’ after a week of positive COVID-19 results. As long as the rate of infections continues to drop, restaurant terraces will be allowed to open with a 30% capacity, as well as hotels and other tourist accommodation on May 11. Some two weeks later, restaurant dining rooms can once again welcome clients, while cinemas, theatres and museums will follow suit, albeit in a limited capacity with strict separation rules.
By Isha Sesay in Palma
However, despite business-owners being told they can potentially resume activity this month, with more restrictions lifted by June, many are feeling wholly dubious about how viable reopening will be without an international market. Although retaining a healthy all-yearround population, Mallorca relies heavily on tourism and winter incomes are complemented by significant profits over the summer. The Mallorca Hotel Business Federation and the Hotel Chain Association have branded the government’s plans to reopen establishments as completely ‘unfeasible,’ claiming that it provides a ‘false impression of returning to a new normality.’ “The de-escalation plan has been received with disappointment and astonishment, and shows the profound ignorance of the government towards tourism and business in the Balearic Islands,” said the associations in a joint statement. Stressing the need to implement protocols such as mass COVID-19 testing, the organisation believes the focus should not be on resuming activity without a client base. This view was echoed by James Hiscock, a British expat who owns the renowned Son Ametler Hotel in the foothills of the Serra de Tramuntana mountains. Stating the need to roll out a European health passport, he told the Ol-
ive Press: “The government has not appreciated how much Mallorca relies on tourism and things don’t just spring back to normal even if you allow us to reopen.” His prognosis for this year is poor and he believes reopening the doors of his hotel will generate more losses than benefits. For this reason, he has already taken the decision to delay opening until 2021 – a view taken by around half of the hotels, according to the Confederation of Business Associations. Hiscock believes opening up the island to German tourists could be a catalyst for tourism, however if Germany’s tourism commissioner, Thomas Bareiss’ warning this week that citizens will not travel to Spain this year rings true, the Balearic economy is set to suffer even more. German tourism represents a significant monetary injection, constituting one third of the international market for the region, with a total of 4.5 million Germans visiting last year and thousands more owning second homes on the island. Restaurateur Antonio Longobardi, of well-known Ritzi in Portals Nous, is also holding back on reopening, while ports and airports remain closed. “90% of our clients are from Germany so it doesn’t make sense to reopen without anyone to cater for,” he told the Olive Press. He also criticised the inflexibility of the ERTE, a temporary layoff of workContinues on Page 4