Beach Bars and Chiringuitos on Spain’s Costa Blanca and Costa del Sol on Verge of Bankruptcy

The beach bars do not see the screens proposed by the government as feasible and ask to “open as soon as possible but with the necessary protection.”

THE chiringuito owners do not see feasible the use of partitions between tables and hammocks, although they advocate “opening as soon as possible with the necessary protection.” They are only too aware that holidaymakers will not put up with the confinements of social distancing while they come to Spain to relax have a drink and enjoy the sun.

The president of the Association of Entrepreneurs of Costa del Sol said:

“Switzerland has temperatures of 15 degrees, here we would suffocate in hammocks if we surrounded them with the screens, if they have to be separated five metres, then they are separate,” insisted the president of the Association of Entrepreneurs of Costa del Sol beach, Manuel Villafaina.

The spokesman for the beach bars reiterated that the sector “is willing to abide by the orders they give us, the important thing is that we can open the sooner the better. Throughout our lives, we have had so many problems with our concessions and our struggles that we are absolutely prepared for everything,” he added.

Villafaina recalled that for beach bars it would be “catastrophic” if the beaches were not opened. “I hope that the ERTE will not carry on until December, as the minister has said, creating an unnecessary alarm; the position of the president of the Andalucian Government is more coherent and to open with the necessary protective sanitary measures.

“The first thing will be the protection of our clients, workers and ourselves; There are areas such as the Canary Islands, the Balearic Islands, Murcia, Ceuta, Melilla and ours that will start up again before confinement and we should have the possibility of working with logical hygienic measures,” he said.

He went on to say: “things cannot continue the way they are, if they do there will be no beach bars left.”