Mayors in Mallorca are due to be sent government instructions on Friday regarding the staging of events for the Sant Antoni fiestas in January.
At a meeting on Wednesday between the minister for public function, Mercedes Garrido, the director general for public health, Maria Antonia Font and the mayors of Arta and Sa Pobla, measures for the fiestas were discussed. The government's view is that the fiestas should go ahead as normally as possible but that there will need to be restrictions on the numbers of people for certain events.
The mayors are of the same opinion. Miquel Oliver, the mayor of Manacor, who was unable to attend the meeting, has expressed his concern. In Sa Pobla, the decision has already been taken to cancel the pyromusical in the Plaça Major.
Events for which there will be an issue regarding crowds include the pine climb in Pollensa's Plaça Vella. There are also worries about the Compline services in churches. Manacor's is one of the most popular, as is Sa Pobla's. As with the barbecues for Sant Sebastià in Palma, numbers gathering for these for the Sant Antoni fiesta are something else about which mayors are seeking clarification.
Arta's mayor, Manolo Galán, said after the Wednesday meeting that the "health situation is very unstable and it may be that within 15 days it will be better or worse". "We cannot know and decisions will be made according to the situation at the time."
In principle, events will take place and will include the animal blessings and demons' correfoc fire-runs. But if the health alert in Mallorca were to be raised to level three, this would entail more restrictions.