Very few people were aware of the last minute 24 delay in the introduction of the new restrictions on Monday night and yesterday. They should have come into effect yesterday, but will now come into force today.
That said, as is becoming the norm, the local government failed to get clear messages out and on Monday, there was a wave of panic buying with more tailbacks to get into the shopping centres where people were packed together getting last minute shopping done and yesterday, with all the bar and restaurant terraces open for business as they all tried to cash in on the final day before lockdown, it took a long time for news that it was businesses as “normal” to spread across the grapevine.
At 13.30, the terraces which are usually packed, were almost empty, however, within the hour, they were full with queues building up for tables. The new official set of rules and regulations have been published but it appears that few people are any the wiser and the government appears to be losing its grip on the situation with a lack of clarity about what is exactly going to happen, or not, over the next two weeks. And, we all know that when the Balearic government says two weeks, it never is. I know a number of businesses getting ready for a month long shutdown, at least. We need strong and effective guidance more than ever.