Joaquim Boadas, secretary general of Spain NightLife, the national association for nightlife businesses, reacted to Friday's announcement by the Spanish government by saying that a "new total closure doesn't just place us on the brink of the abyss, it will be total ruin".
Boadas insists that there are alternatives which are "less drastic". These include lowering capacity, implementing more safety measures, finding ways to respect spacing between tables, and increasing awareness of the need to wear masks. He has called on the government to spend more money on raising awareness. The only such campaign, he said on Friday, has been in Madrid. "This would help us avoid having to suffer this total closure."
Asked if nightlife businesses and club goers have been following health standards, he observed that "everything has been done, but we shouldn't have to pay for the sinners". "There are clients who have behaved and clients who have not behaved. But this cannot be a reason for punishing the entire sector. We must adopt drastic measures for those who fail to comply."
There was, he noted, "some light at the end of the tunnel" as the ministry of tourism has confirmed that it will help out with the payment of rents. "They (the ministry) have also told us that they will help us with extending ERTE to the end of the year."