On my way to work yesterday, I had to circumnavigate a group of ten people who were enjoying a coffee, a chat and few fags outside a small café which has music blasting out. Great business for the café, but, to be honest, they were all standing where a terrace would normally be, so all that was missing were the chairs and some social distancing.
It was a similar scene in Portixol on Sunday morning. Long queues for bread and pastries and coffees which were either consumed on the pavement outside the establishment or in groups on the sea wall.
The new bar and restaurant restrictions, with regards to social distancing etc., don’t appear to have much difference, nor has the herding of shoppers into “smaller” supermarkets and shops which could only be worse should the curfew be brought forward to eight o’clock. Yes, there are far fewer people gathering on the terraces – much to the detriment of the hostelry business – but I would not define these latest measures as circuit breakers. And, it must be heartbreaking for the owners of cafés and food outlets which have decided to close completely when they see those which have just about managed to stay open ticking over. Perhaps the philosophy of a take away should be better explained, – it’s to take away – not simply to take a few meters out, otherwise it defeats the whole object. We need more clarity.
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