Magaluf’s popular party strip to reopen next week with pubs and bars welcoming tourists back

MAGALUF’S famous party strip is to reopen next week after it was forced to close back in July due to the pandemic and anti-social behaviour.

From October 15, the Balearic government has confirmed that bars, shops and restaurants selling alcohol on Punta Ballena will be able to re-open.

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But officials said today that they are lifting their restrictions in a number of so-called “areas of excess tourism” due to the improved coronavirus situation in the islands.

The new order will not apply to nightclubs which have to remain closed, as elsewhere on the islands, together with a ban on dancing.

Two party strips in Palma are also being allowed to reopen but from Sunday as opposed to October 15.

Magaluf’s Punta Ballena, which houses the most pubs, bars and clubs on the island, was closed down on July 15 following a number of incidents which the government considered endangered people’s lives through the potential spread of coronavirus.

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The Calvia business association has opposed the closure and took to the streets to protest, saying they had been treated unfairly and were in danger of going bust.

The Balearic government is expected to stick to its guns about trying to curb scenes of drunken mayhem by maintaining a ban on pub crawls, party boats and drink offers.

Outbreaks of coronavirus in these areas are said to have dropped dramatically during the closures.

The Magaluf party strip will still have to adhere to the general coronavirus safety rules which at the moment rule that all pubs and bars have to close at 1am, with no new customers being allowed in after midnight.

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Other general regulations in the Balearics are also being slightly relaxed.

Food and drink cannot be consumed during sporting or cultural shows but this will not be the case in cinemas.

The companies had complained that without the sale of popcorn and pop, keeping cinemas open was not viable.

The Balearic government has decided to continue with the suspension of activities in children’s entertainment venues, the closure of parks and gardens and specific restrictions on nursing homes, especially in terms of visits to residents.

The positive test rate in the Balearic Islands is 4.4 per cent with a cumulative incidence of 122 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in Majorca, 29 in Menorca, 219 in Ibiza and 57 in Formentera.

Whilst the news has been welcomed by those businesses affected, some are already saying it has come too late as the season is now over.

And there are also early fears being voiced that if the bars in Magaluf become busy again, it could encourage a third wave of coronavirus which health officials admit they are already planning for.

Bar and club owners are proposing a complete remodelling, not only of Magaluf but of all of Calvià – which could end the boozy British break.

A spokesman for the Calvia Association of Employers and Workers confirmed: “After this disastrous season with the closure of Punta Ballena, we have set to work to achieve a complete remodelling not only of Magaluf but of all of Calvià.”

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