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Majorca Daily Bulletin reporterPalma20/11/2020 19:04
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Some 4,000 transport companies and taxi drivers in the Balearics will be able to apply for financial aid from the regional government to cover the costs of protective material and equipment.

Transport minister Marc Pons said on Friday that 1.5 million euros are to be made available to meet the expenses of having had to buy protective screens, gels and masks. He made this announcement following a meeting with Rafael Roig, president of the Balearic Transport Federation, who observed that the amount wasn't "a lot" but that it will help in giving liquidity to businesses and the self-employed.

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Proof of purchase of these items will need to be presented, Pons saying that businesses and taxi drivers have known that they should keep receipts. The ministry and the federation have been working on the aid "for a long time".

Pons underlined the need to allocate direct aid to the transport sector, which is facing "a difficult winter after a summer with practically no tourism season". Roig said that the sector "didn't know that the crisis would go on for so long". He encouraged the Spanish government to extend aid until the end of 2021, estimating that transport sector activity in the Balearics is likely to be down fifty per cent next year.