Hold your nerve and hope things will get better or think of a Plan B? This is the decision which the Balearic government has to make this weekend as cases continue to mount across the Balearics.
The local government has put its faith in the vaccine passport to fight Covid but the number of cases continues to mount. Introducing restrictions, despite the comprehensive nature of the local population, would lead to an outcry so once again we are in difficult times. One quick fix would be to make face coverings mandatory again on the street as well as in enclosed areas. The government could introduce the curfew again. There are a number of options which would not disrupt Christmas too much. So, there is room for more restrictive measures.
The other big concern is that the euphoria within the tourist industry, looking ahead to next season, has now gone flat. It had been hoped that things would be returning to normal and the island would be able to look forward to a great season in 2022 but Covid has put the brakes on this once again. It had been hoped that there would some tourists around over the festive period but no. It is almost a case of we are back to square one again.
The Spanish government announced this week that the booster jab would soon be available for the over 40s and children are now being vaccinated. No-one can blame the Spanish government for not trying to tackle the problem head-on but these are extraordinary times and even the best laid plans can fall apart. At the moment the government are holding their nerve let us see how long they last.