I have heard plenty of complaints from local businesses about how new legislation brought in to combat the coronavirvus is hitting trade hard. In most cases these complaints are justified; the reduction of tables and places in bars and restaurants and even the smoking ban has all hit local businesses.
Luckily for some though the Majorcan public appear to be spending. I was quite amazed to see most of the restaurants along the Paseo Mallorca to be packed yesterday. I haven't seen this all summer. Now, it could be that residents have returned to this area after their long summer break by the sea, but it was a refreshing sight.
Unfortunately, in other parts of the city, businesses are not doing so well. Some are closing their doors already, others haven't even opened and those who are staying open are praying for a miracle. Apart from a few notable exceptions like the bars and restaurants on the Paseo Mallorca, local businesses can't survive just with the local trade and this will be one of the biggest problems this winter.
The local government has said that the smoking ban and the reduction in restaurant places is only temporary and businesses are hoping that it will be scrapped sooner rather than later. But if the local government wants to halt the mass closure of bars and restaurants then it must think of a plan. Perhaps, they could consider a similar system as the one which has proved hugely successful in Britain, in which restaurants can offer subsidised meals.