The clock is ticking. In the Balearics there appears to be no urgency when it comes to the vaccination programme eventhough the very livelihood of these islands depends on it. Just what is going on? There is plenty of talk about the vaccine but it must be rolled out sooner rather than later. The British tourist industry appears to be heading towards a May 1 start for foreign holiday despite warnings from the British government. Will the Balearics be ready? Not at this rate.
The central administration in Madrid has rejected calls for the islands to be given priority vaccine status because of the importance of tourism. This is a blow for the Balearic government. They are under growing pressure to get the tourist industry moving but obviously no vaccine..no industry. There is a danger that the Balearics and Spain could be left behind by other more go-ahead holiday destinations such as Greece. The Balearics will also have to compete against stay-vacations. I don´t often give the government of Boris Johnson much credit in this space but when it comes to vaccination then the Balearics should copy the British example.
In Spain one million people have had the vaccine, in Britain the figure is close to 16 million. Local hoteliers are even asking for permission to buy the vaccine on the open-market so that they can vaccinate staff. These are difficult times and there does appear to be light at the end of the tunnel but it hasn’t shown through to the Balearics.