Article updated 1/9/20
Now that the 2020 summer season has almost passed its hottest months, things are beginning to settle down more here on Ibiza and Formentera. Despite the presence of large numbers of tourists throughout July and August, there have been no serious outbreaks of Covid-19 on Ibiza or Formentera.
Many people's travel plans have been disrupted by announcements from national governments, first from the UK, introducing mandatory quarantine for travellers arriving from Spain, and followed by Germany and the Netherlands - regardless of the low rate of infection locally in the Balearic Islands.
Yet there are still many adventurous tourists on the islands of Ibiza and Formentera, enjoying the unique qualities they have to offer. The weather is incredible and there is still plenty of opportunity to enjoy the islands in a way it hasn't been possible to for a generation.
In fact, marking this, several establishments are planning to stay open longer this year - more about that in another article, coming soon.
Nevertheless, we have to remain on our guard. As PCR testing has increased on the Islands, there has been an inevitable uptick in the number of confirmed cases. Although many of the new cases are asymptomatic and are being controlled by voluntary self-isolation, the number of hospitalisations has increased and some new cases have been admitted to intensive care.
The Ministry of Health and the Balearic Government have introduced new measures
to reduce the likelihood of a serious outbreak:
- Smoking has been banned in public spaces, including the street, where an interpersonal distance of 2 metres cannot be maintained. Some businesses, with sufficient space, have responded by creating designated outdoor smoking zones, where possible.
- All hospitality venues now have a maximum closing time of 01.00. No entry is allowed after midnight and social groups are limited to a maximum of 10 per table.
- It is also recommended that social gatherings at home are limited to no more than 10 people, although this hasn't yet been cemented in law.
- Boat excursions are no longer allowed to serve food or drinks.
- Beaches and public parks are closed from 21:00 to 07:00
* The smoking and social gathering rules have since been reinforced with the introduction of a €100 on the spot fine for offenders caught breaking them.
Despite these new regulations, and contrary to many expectations, Ibiza is still very much open for business. Most of the beach bars and restaurants are regularly full and open-air venues, such as Ibiza Rocks Hotel, O Beach, Nikki Beach and Bam Bu Ku also remain open.
Areas for concern
The majority of businesses here have been taking the anti Covid-19 precautions very seriously, to protect both customers and their staff. However, certain areas, such as the port area of Ibiza Town, where it is more difficult to impose strict mask wearing and social distancing measures, have been the focus of police intervention to reduce numbers. We anticipate that this type of action will die down - often this type of approach comes at the beginning when new measures are introduced.
Most of Ibiza's beaches have been allocated a maximum capacity and occasionally those limits are reached, resulting in access being prevented. This is generally a sensible measure and tourists and locals alike have accepted the regulation and simply go to find another beach where access is possible. Our beach pages give you a complete guide of which beaches are in your locality.
Also, the masses of people getting out on the road and exploring the islands has resulted in unusually large gatherings at viewpoints and beauty spots. Naturally, people at these locations have tended to be less conscious of their social obligations and have been mingling very close together.
Many businesses have announced that they plan to stay open until mid-October. So, if you are still weighing up whether to come over and can do the quarantine time, you would still be coming to a relatively safe part of the world - just remember to bring a good supply of masks and keep sanitising your hands as often as possible.
We would just politely remind everyone who is coming to remember their responsibility to each other and to have a great holiday!
