Spain has come to a standstill. You can count on a single hand the number of people who are actually working because of the coronavirus lockdown.
There is concern about the future and not just the coronavirus but what happens after the coronavirus has eased and things start returning to normal. This is a story which will ring true with many people. I was chatting with a taxi driver the other day and he told me that last winter, after a successful summer season, he had spent 4,000 euros on a holiday in Mexico. He said he thought he deserved it after spending six months working all hours. He spent the money thinking that when he returned he would have a relatively good winter and then the summer season. Who would have thought that Majorca would come to a standstill?
Now he is working limited hours and his income doesn't even pay the rent. Some could say that he was silly to spend all that money on a holiday but if you think about it no-one would ever have thought that this would happen.
How many small business people must be in the same boat? Hundreds if not thousands. The Spanish government has promised large sums of cash to help businesses but that money needs to be forthcoming now.
With many business people believing that this year there won't be a summer season or a very short one, the time has come for action. The coronavirus is deadly and destructive and has brought the world to its knees but the economic meltdown could be like a financial tsunami if governments don't act quickly.