The terraces of hotels, restaurants and bars that during the pandemic received exceptional permission from the city councils to be installed in public spaces not intended for this function have begun to be removed in different municipalities in Spain.
–
For example, the City Council of San Sebastian has reported that all those establishments that availed themselves of the relaxation of the norm will have a transition period until mid-June to withdraw the so-called “covid terraces”.
The council considers that since masks are not mandatory inside barsthere is currently no restrictive measure in the hospitality sector, so there is no legal basis to maintain the exceptionality of the terraces.
The general secretary of the Gipuzkoa Hospitality Business Association, Quino Martínez, told Efe that these exceptional terraces should be removed around the San Juan festival (June 24).
The hoteliers consider that the implementation of new measures, including the removal of masks inside the bars, require a “delay” to be carried out, for which they considered it convenient to extend the exceptional terraces until the end of the summer, something that in the end it will not be possible.
Martínez has valued, on the other hand, the willingness of the San Sebastián City Council to study possible changes in the municipal ordinance, as other Gipuzkoan consistories are already doing.
Terrace of a bar. Photo: Adobe Stock
–
Temporal expansion of terraces
Other municipalities in various autonomous communities have also begun to order the removal of terraces that had been exceptionally authorized during the pandemic.
These terraces have allowed restaurants and bars without an outdoor area to serve customers outdoors. And likewise, many town halls have also allowed an expansion of the existing terraces of bars and restaurants while the capacity restrictions in the hospitality industry have been extended.
The exceptional or provisionally extended terraces had been in operation since the spring of 2020.
According to the consistories of several autonomous communities, “once the capacity limitations have disappeared, the establishments recover the use of the interior spaces at 100% occupancy.”
It should also be remembered that since last April 20 the use of the mask is no longer mandatory in interior spaces.
New rules:
– Spain says goodbye to indoor masks (with exceptions)
–
/data/photo/2022/04/25/6266497738fb0.jpg "Anies Says Gembrong Market Revitalization Will Be Gradually Starting Next Week")
