The announcement that Spain would reopen to tourists later this month was welcome news, but partygoers will need to wait a little – perhaps even a lot – longer before they can hit the popular clubs of Ibiza and Magaluf.
Ibiza and Magaluf clubs may stay closed until 2021
The announcement that Spain would reopen to tourists later this month was welcome news, but partygoers will need to wait a little – perhaps even a lot – longer before they can hit the popular clubs of Ibiza and Magaluf.
Spain will reopen its borders to international visitors on 21 June, with hotels, beaches and restaurants ready to welcome guests. However, the Balearic government has voiced its concerns over the health risks posed by nightclubs and has indicated that clubs in Ibiza and Magaluf may remain closed until a COVID-19 vaccine is found.
The statement has received criticism from local nightclub owners, who believe they should be given the chance to prove they can meet safety criteria and have devised a 10-day pilot scheme which would see a third of capacity limit and a ban on dancing. If successful and clubs were to reopen, visitors would be required to provide their contact details so that they could be traced in the event of another customer displaying symptoms of COVID-19.
The proposed pilot scheme has been put to the Spanish government, who ruled last week that clubs could reopen in areas of the country that had reached phase 3 of lockdown relaxation. Despite Mallorca, Ibiza and Menorca all being in phase 3, club owners fear that Ibiza and Magaluf’s reputations as holiday hotspots for ‘drunken tourism’ is what may be causing the Balearic government to put their foot down. President of the Balearic Islands, Francina Armengol, said: “We are not in a position to allow nightlife, it is not a priority.”
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