Majorca has begun Phase Zero of the de-escalation of coronavirus restrictions, allowing thousands of small businesses, taxis and restaurants to raise their shutters for the first time in 50 days.
The Government held meetings with representatives of various sectors on Saturday to try to dispel doubts about health and safety protocols but the Federation of Small and Medium Enterprises, PIMEM says the protocols should have been outlined weeks ago.
“Businesses need more than 48 hours to implement the measures required, they could have given workers that information days or weeks ago, now they are being forced to improvise,” said PIMEM President, Jordi Mora.
Receipt
The Government has recommended that business owners stock up on protective material for their employees and has also given them the option of raising a specific receipt for employees to hand over when they go shopping in case they are stopped by the Police in the street.
At the Restaurant Sector meeting, Eugenia Cusí, President of PIMEM Restauración, called for rapid tests to be carried out on restaurant premises "to provide health security for customers and workers,” and claimed that the Government is open to that possibility.
The President of Pimeco, Antoni Fuster raised doubts about the Commerce, Hairdressers and Aestheticians Sector.
“They want us to keep the clothes that customers try on in stock for 48 hours, but small businesses do not have the type of warehouse facilities that large chains have, so it is an unfeasible option,” he said and also raised concerns about opening toy stores or clothing store whilst movements are still restricted.
There were also doubts raised in the Hairdressing and Beauty Sectors about available space on premises.
“We do not operate in the same way as a restaurant, we don’t have a capacity limit and we are concerned about how many people would be able to enter our businesses,” explained Rafa Rubio, Vice President of GREPELS Gapb.
Transportation
At the Transport Sector meeting, the Government announced its proposal to allow Associations and Federations to access health systems at reasonable prices, according to Biel Moragues, Vice President of the Balearic Transport Federation.
“These are machines that use ozone as a vehicle purification element, which would allow drivers to disinfect their vehicles in a faster and more affordable way," said Moragues. “The masks that were sent to taxi drivers have not been distributed and we demand that the shipments be delivered correctly,” he added.