Bar owners to benefit as expats from Spain’s Costa Blanca and Costa del Sol rule out going to the UK due to the quarantine period

On hearing the news of a 14-day isolation period on returning to the UK, expats are staying put in Spain, much to the delight of local businesses on the Costa del Sol and the Costa Blanca.

WITH local residents making up over half of their yearly trade, bar, restaurant, and cafe owners are extremely happy that expats look likely to stay on the costas and provide much-needed turnover.

Owner of Jingles bar in the Costa Blanca, George Schofield explained: “The UK was so slow to respond to the outbreak, it’s their fault but I’m glad that the locals will be staying here, I hope to open in the next few weeks for the first time in months and I was ready to throw the towel in, but now if things start to pick my wife and I will stay.

“Our area has moved to Phase 1, everyone is elated, we have to shrink our terrace but there are only two of us to pay so we can make ends meet, just about!”

Philip Jenkins, another EWN reader from Calahonda on the Costa del Sol told me: “I’m sure my local shopping centre, El Zoco, will be pleased to hear residents will be here over the summer, many elderly locals normally go back as it’s too hot, if it wasn’t for the tourists it would be a ghost town.

“It was looking really grim until I heard the news about the 14-day isolation period, I know the bar owners here will be really happy to learn their locals will be supporting them in their time of need. I can see plenty of daily specials being offered and they probably will be open for a little longer to grab as much trade as possible, good luck to them we need them as much as they need us.”

At the moment, regions are divided with 51 per cent allowed to continue to Phase 1 of the emergency lockdown, the Minister for Health said it was due to bad data that some parts of Andalucia are stuck in Phase 0, some are arguing it was a political decision, we shall soon know the answer. TW