Alfonso Robledo, president of the CAEB restaurants association. | Jaume Morey

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Alfonso Robledo, president of the restaurants association with the Confederation of Balearic Business Associations, is one voice among many in the islands' hospitality sector who disagrees with the government's proposal of reopening terraces next week but forcing them to be closed by 4pm.

Closing at that time would mean losing out on the serving of "many meals". Workers who finish at 3pm "would no longer have time to eat at a restaurant".

The proposal isn't firm and there are to be meetings to try and reach an agreement. The government is due to approve its latest measures at a Friday meeting of the cabinet.

Regarding capacity proposals, Robledo believes that these are very limited. "The logical thing would be to reopen under the same conditions that applied before the closure." Capacity on terraces was then 70%, while six people were allowed to sit at a table, not the four that the government has now proposed.

As for allowing customers to sit inside establishments, there is an acceptance that this will not be the case until at least mid-March. "We must work on the safe opening of interiors," says Robledo, who is sympathetic to the government's concern about a possible rise in infections. "We agree that a fourth wave must be avoided."