- Many bars with a limited number of tables remain closed as they cannot afford to remove employees from the ERTE or spend on new stock due to the reduced hours.
There has been an Irregular pattern to the restart of the hospitality trade in the province of Alicante with barely 50% of establishments with terraces choosing to reopen their business.
Many that are located in large areas of population, or in the centre of main cities have been very busy, but many more chose to stay closed because they only have small terraces and it is not worth taking their staff out of the ERTE and invest in bar stock while reduced hours only allow them to trade until 6pm.
The Alicante Hospitality Business Federation (Fehpa), the Hospitality and Leisure Business Coordinator, and the Alicante Restaurant Association (ARA) all agree that the new schedule is still very restrictive as is the capacity, 75% occupancy of terrace space, with a maximum of four people and a distance of one and a half meters between tables.
“It is totally insufficient,” said Emi Ortiz , Fehpa’s secretary general.
The sector continues to insist that the Consell authorises the reopening of and an extension of the hours until at least 8pm, similar to non essential shops.
Reopening was also irregular in Elche and in Benidorm with associations saying it was very much according to areas. In Alicante, however, the urban centre was very busy with the majority of establishments choosing to trade.
