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Germans at Ballermann: "Double the vaccination, double the fun"

2021-07-24T11:01:45.688Z


Spain is becoming a high incidence area - and vacationing on Malle is a bit more difficult for Germans. The tourists usually take it easy. For some locals, the situation is already dire.


Spain is becoming a high incidence area - and vacationing on Malle is a bit more difficult for Germans.

The tourists usually take it easy.

For some locals, the situation is already dire.

Palma - The sun burns from the sky over Mallorca, clean beaches and a turquoise Mediterranean invite you to relax.

Ideal conditions for a great summer vacation.

Also part of reality in summer 2021: The corona pandemic, which is currently causing the number of infections to go through the roof in Spain and Mallorca. The federal government has now pulled the emergency brake and declared the whole of Spain to be a high incidence area. Anyone who returns home from Tuesday, unvaccinated or not recovered from Corona, is allowed to twiddle their thumbs in the quarantine for at least five days.

But what would have hit the bad news in the first Corona summer 2020 and would have triggered a wave of cancellations, hotel closings and a hasty return campaign by German holidaymakers, is now being received relatively calmly by politics, the tourism industry and holidaymakers. “That is not good news,” says Iago Negueruela laconically. He is the tourism minister of the Balearic Islands, which in addition to Mallorca also includes Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera. He refers to the vaccination campaign and hopes that the number of infections will drop soon.

The President of the Association of Hotel Directors in the Balearic Islands (AEDH), Alicia Reina, demands that there should finally be a European regulation for the exemption of fully vaccinated people from the corona restrictions. In this respect, Germany's decision to declare Spain a high incidence area is regrettable, but correct. Because it privileges the vaccinated.

Young German holidaymakers apparently also feel privileged at the infamous Ballermann, the party mile in Palma. "We have been vaccinated for a long time, we have been through the two weeks, so everything is safe," says a young man, his girlfriend nods. Sure, the incidence is relatively high and one wonders if that is a good thing. But "twice vaccinated, twice fun, that's what I always say", he adds with a thumbs up, while another says: "Drink for a week".

Older generations and holidaymakers with smaller children prefer to vacation in quieter parts of the island. "We accept the quarantine for our older daughter," says Sabrina from Remagen, who stayed in a holiday apartment with her husband and two children at the age of seven years and ten months. “We actually feel safe in Mallorca. Of course, the high incidences give rise to a queasy feeling and we avoid large groups, ”says the German who is vaccinated.

A premature termination of vacation would be out of the question. “We'll be staying until mid-August. We have decided to go around the island by boat. At the first attempt the machine failed and we made it into the harbor with a bang. Now we're going to take the next attempt. ”Vanessa, on the other hand, is happy that she is leaving on Monday, one day before the high-incidence area rules come into force. “Actually, I didn't really have that on my screen. My boyfriend and I are both not fully vaccinated yet. We still have a week's vacation afterwards, but we certainly don't want to squat that at home, ”says the German. For some locals, the corona crisis has brought more than just inconvenience to tourism. Fernando Moscardo is one of them.He runs the popular “Kokomo” beach bar in Palma's Cala Mayor district. “On the beach, people can do what they want. They meet in large groups. Only eight people are allowed to sit at a table on my terrace just a few meters away, and only four indoors, ”he complains. Although the restaurant is mostly frequented by foreigners, the host is not yet very worried about the high incidence area. “Our customers are usually over 50 years old and have already been vaccinated. You are not threatened with quarantine. ”While the bar was in the red last year, the store is at least operating at breakeven this season. In the“ Carpe Diem ”in Palma, however, the light has gone out forever. The bar with a family atmosphere, which is mainly frequented by residents, had to close a month ago. "Water and electricity were turned off for me",says the previous landlady Carolina Cucoch-Petraello, who originally came from Chile. She owed the rent a year ago. The owner now wants to sell the restaurant. The Chilean, who loses everything as a result, is left with her debts. “I'm going to file for bankruptcy and try a fresh start. Maybe I have to emigrate to find work again, ”says the 42-year-old. A similar fate threatens more people on the island, fears Heimke Mansfeld from the German aid organization Hope Mallorca. She considers the decision of the federal government to declare Spain a high incidence area to be wrong. “The hospitals are underutilized. It's not like people are dying en masse. ”Worse is the economic collapse threatened by the lack of tourists. “There will be layoffs.In the short season, people could hardly save money, there is a threat of hunger, misery and increasing crime. ”Dpa

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2021-07-24

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