The government of the Balearic Islands has announced that it will close three streets in the two main nightlife areas of Mallorca in a bid to combat ‘tourism excesses’.
There have been widespread reports of visitors flouting Covid-19 safety protocols such as social distancing and wearing face masks since the region reopened to Brits on Friday.
Nightlife venues on Calle Punta Ballena in Magaluf, Calle Miquel Pellisa (also known as ‘Calle de la Cerveza’) and Calle del Pare Bartomeu Salvà (known as ‘Calle del Jamón’) in Playa de Palma will be closed to the public from July 15, 2020.
The Balearic Islands says the closure of the streets is to prevent antisocial behaviour which it feels could “jeopardise” a safe restart for the tourism sector.
In the last 14 days, the archipelago has registered the lowest cumulative incidence rate in all of Europe, with 4.78 cases per 100,000 inhabitants; which compares to 14.8 in the whole of Spain and 6.8 in Germany (the UK has not provided data).
But the islands’ government admitted that it had been one of the communities hardest hit from an economic perspective.
It said: “Any new outbreak would be a challenging blow to the tourism sector. The government of the islands has reinforced its commitment for eradicating this type of antisocial tourism linked to alcohol, excess and public disorder to promote a safer and more high quality tourism product.”
The Balearic Islands published a decree law aimed at eradicating this antisocial tourism in January 2020.
The statement added: “The geography of the destination, the health management of the epidemic and the responsible behaviour of the population have all contributed to the destination’s strong epidemiological situation which has allowed the tourism industry to be reactivated safely and without incidents. For this reason, the Balearic Island Government continues with this focus to protect both visitors and residents and ensure they can continue to enjoy the destination.”
The closure of the streets is in addition to the prohibition of parties in certain areas with fines of up to €600,000.