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The Balearic President Francina Armengol said two months ago that she wasn’t going to put the health and safety of the people of the Balearics above economic needs. This week her government announced that face masks would be compulsory which resulted in an outcry from the tourist industry.

Other regions of Spain are not being so tough and senior members of the travel industry are questioning the local government’s motives. To be fair to the Balearic government most people across the islands are already wearing face coverings in most instances and the only thing that her government is doing is making them compulsory. We are winning the battle against the coronavirus but the war is not over yet and there are new cases.

I think that the only thing that the government is guilty of is a lack of communication with the tourist industry. I am sure that they were informed before the government announced their introduction but perhaps there should have been a bigger and wider debate. It is a sad state of affairs that tourists are cancelling their holidays because of the new ruling but at the end of the day it is better to be safe than sorry.

The Balearic government is obviously acting on medical advice. This was always going to be a difficult year for tourism. If the Balearic government has dented the alleged recovery within the industry then they should stand firm and face the consequences. All we can do is try and make the best of the situation and hope that things improve in the near future. Yes, our economy is reliant on tourism but the government also has a duty to keep people safe.