Not the bar, the PCR! Are you a business owner that relies on tourism in Spain?

Since May of this year I have been a member of the Asociación de Empresarios de Montejaque (AEM), a group formed by 33 business owners in the village. As the owner of a holiday rental home, I, too, have been affected by the impact of the Covid virus – with only one four-night booking in 2020.

In the second week of November, one of the members of the AEM called a meeting to suggest that all non-essential businesses should close until the number of cases of Covid in the village had fallen. Most of the businesses agreed, and 80% of them were closed for approximately 10 days. At this time, I created a WhatsApp group, Montejaque Update, to keep the approximately 40 extranjeros informed of closures and new restrictions. It has now become a well-received communication system.

The bars and restaurants have been open again for the past two weeks, but business has fallen dramatically. Bars have to close by 1800h, but customers can order take-away from restaurants for pick up by the 2200h curfew, and the restaurants are allowed to deliver to homes up until 2330h. I advertised on the WhatsApp group those businesses who could do home delivery – even from as far away as Bar Allioli in Jimera de Libar.

However, things have not really improved. At the moment, no-one is allowed into or out of Montejaque, and the only customers on whom the establishments can rely seem to be the extranjeros. The locals will have breakfast and coffee at the bars in the morning, but 3€ a head won’t pay the overheads. Some of the extranjeros may also have limited resources now; my income from holiday rentals, after expenses, used to pay for at least one dinner out per week, as well as several fun-filled afternoons of sangria-drinking in the sun-filled plaza.

Now, the lovely bars in our plaza are nearly empty. There are more people waiting at the Santa Bárbara Centro de Salud for a PCR test than there ever are on the patios of the bars and restaurants in Montejaque.

As of the end of November, there have been 33 cases of Covid in the village, and 26 people have so far recovered. It looks like our security measures are working … but at what cost?

I know I’m not the only one concerned about the future of businesses who rely on tourism, not only in Montejaque and the Serranía de Ronda but in all of Spain.