According to the president of ATA, Lorenzo Amor, only 20% of local businesses entitled to do so re-opened their doors on Monday within phase zero of the Government’s de-escalation plan, in addition to 50% of hairdressing salons and just 3% of hospitality establishments,
“Uncertainty and very little hope,” is still what many business owners are feeling after more than 50 closed days,” said the president of the organization ATA, the Association of Autonomous Workers of the Comunidad Valenciana
Throughout this week, according to Amor, these percentages will rise to 40% in the case of retail trade, to 70% of hairdressers and salons but there will be hardly any increase in the case of the hospitality industry.
“The problem, as usual, is that the regulations have been released on Sunday, at the last minute, which was far too late to allow business owners to make necessary arrangements,” said Amor.
Therefore, businesses who do not have PPE or material necessary for opening and safeguarding their own health security and that of their staff and their clients, will not open until they have it.
“Many businesses will be adapting their premises to open in the coming days, others have told us that they will wait until the 11th, and many others say that as they anticipate very little trade in these early weeks they are not going to make the investment in sanitary equipment right now as the cost would be much higher than what they would expect in income, ” he concluded.
