Bars and restaurants in Ibiza can open their outdoor areas to the public from March 2021.
Published on the 18th of February, was a report by Spanish news publication The Olive Press, which has announced that the Balearic government will begin their reopening plan on the 2nd March 2021.
Starting in March, bars and restaurants in Ibiza, Formentera, Menorca, and Mallorca, can open their terraces and outdoor spaces. On the provision that the island does not experience another outbreak of coronavirus cases, it’s also reported that indoor spaces will open from the 16th March, having to make sure CO2 meters are installed inside venues.
The news is welcomed by most business owners, but the Confederation of Business Associations in the Balearics has said the news is “unsatisfactory” because 80% of bars and restaurants in Mallorca do not have outdoor terraces.
A report in the Majorca Daily Bulletin has said the 14-day cumulative incidence of coronavirus cases in the Balearics is now down to 157.38. In Mallorca it’s 112.38, which classifies the island as medium risk. On a whole the Balearics are still classified high risk (150-249), with Ibiza in the extreme category for 14 days.
In 2020 it was announced that the Ibiza government has plans for a rapid COVID-19 testing system that will allow it to open a tourist corridor in 2021. Anyone who is travelling from countries with an AI greater than 50, will have to get a COVID test less than 48 hours before their flight, and provide a negative result.
This is positive news for the electronic music industry that make a large amount of revenue from the island’s summer party season, but the news should also be taken with a pinch of salt, as the island’s reopening is dependent that there isn’t another outbreak of COVID-19. Safety restrictions may also reduce venue capacity due to social distancing.
