Tourists facing restrictions amid fears of virus spikes
MADRID — From the palmfringed beaches of southern India to the bar-lined streets of a Spanish island and the rolling hills of Ireland, restaurants, pubs and clubs are emerging as frontlines in efforts to prevent the reemergence of the coronavirus.
With Europe’s summer vacation season kicking into high gear for millions weary of months of lockdown, scenes of drunken British and German tourists on Spain’s Mallorca island ignoring social distancing rules and reports of American visitors flouting quarantine measures in Ireland are raising fears of a resurgence of infections in countries that have battled for months to flatten the COVID-19 curve.
Germany’s foreign minister condemned the rowdy tourists for imperiling hard-won gains in efforts to contain the virus.
“We just recently managed to open the borders again in Europe. We cannot risk this by reckless behavior,” Heiko Maas told Funke Media Group on Thursday. “Otherwise, new measures will be inevitable.”
In a move designed to stop the spread of the coronavirus and shake off the region’s reputation as a party hub, regional authorities in the Balearic Islands ordered the closure from Thursday of all establishments along Mallorca’s “Beer St.” and “Ham St.,” as the popular party areas near the beach of Palma de Mallorca are known, and on another boulevard in nearby Magaluf.
Bar owners reacted angrily to the new restrictions on the islands that have seen, like most regions in Spain, recent small spikes in infections, none of which were traced to visiting tourists or party hotspots. Bars and nightclubs employ some 20,000 people in the region.
“They are undertaking drastic measures that are typical of other countries, closing entire streets and curtailing the free exercise of private initiative,” Jesús Sánchez, who leads a local business association told The Associated Press. He blamed “clandestine parties” for some of the images of tourists ignoring virus containment measures.
Mallorca’s partying tourists were in stark contrast to a solemn commemoration service Thursday morning in Madrid, where relatives of about 100 COVID-19 victims sat, socially distanced, with representatives of health workers and other vital professions and with Spain’s king and queen to pay tribute to the dead and those fighting the pandemic.
In an emotional speech, Hernando Calleja said he was sharing the pain of the loss of his brother José María, a wellknown journalist and writer in Madrid, with other relatives of “anonymous” victims.
“Let’s not forget that the coronavirus was and continues to be a cold, cruel and wrecking executioner,” Calleja said at the ceremony at Madrid’s Royal Palace.
Another European tourism hotspot, Greece, lifted a ban on flights from Britain on July 15 and on Thursday welcomed the first arrivals with random testing at the airport in Athens.
Alexandros Maziotis, a Greek who lives in the UK, said he wasn’t tested.
“I’m planning to be a bit careful, especially the first week, so I make sure I don’t pass something to my parents,” he said.
In France, which has been seeing new outbreaks, Prime Minister Jean Castex said masks would be mandatory in closed public places as of next week — sooner than Aug. 1 as previously announced. One of the Catholic Church’s holiest sites, Lourdes, held its first-ever online pilgrimage, to mark the anniversary of claims by 19th-century girl Bernadette Soubirous that the Virgin Mary appeared to her there.
While stringent lockdown measures have slowed the spread of the virus across much of Europe, there are growing signs of second waves of infections, and the pandemic is still gathering pace elsewhere.
Finland is one of the countries to have eased lockdown measures. On Wednesday night, dozens of people queued shoulder-to-shoulder waiting to get into a Helsinki night club.
More than 13.5 million people have been infected worldwide and over 580,000 have died, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. The true numbers are thought to be far higher for a number of reasons, including limited testing.
India’s record daily increase of nearly 32,700 cases pushed its total close to 1 million and led authorities to reimpose a three-day lockdown and night curfew in the popular western beach state of Goa, two weeks after it was reopened to tourists.
The state’s top elected official, Pramod Sawant, said people there were flouting social distancing rules and not wearing face masks. Nearly 40,000 people have been fined in the past two weeks for not wearing masks.
Israel also registered a new daily record of confirmed coronavirus cases, and a new nationwide lockdown to appeared imminent.
Hezi Levi, the Health Ministry director general, told Army Radio that he would be pushing at a meeting Thursday for more stringent movement restrictions, including a possible nationwide lockdown on weekends.
Even in Japan, which has fewer than 23,000 confirmed cases and about 1,000 deaths, officials are fretting about moves to revitalize the hardhit tourism industry. Tokyo confirmed a record 286 confirmed infections Thursday.
SALEM, Ore. — They can be colorful or come in basic black, make a political statement or just a funny one.
Masks made of cotton and other washable materials have become big sellers, and an emerging fashion item, as face coverings have been increasingly mandated around the world to reduce the spread of the coronavirus.
Sales are expected to get another boost after Britain and France announced this week that they will require masks in public indoor spaces. That could help France’s textile and luxury goods companies unload a surplus of masks that numbered 20 million in June.
In addition, at least 25 U.S. states are requiring masks in many indoor situations. Oregon on Wednesday even began requiring masks outdoors if people can’t stay 6 feet (2 meters) apart.
In a sign that masks are becoming a fashion trend, Vogue magazine recently listed 100 “aesthetically pleasing” selections. The fashion magazine’s recommendations include a mask with beaded accents from Susan Alexandra. The cost: $70. Masks made from vintage quilt tops, by Farewell Frances, go for $25.
After U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi began wearing masks that matched her outfits, people watching her on news channels noticed they had a Donna Lewis label on them. The boutique in Alexandria, Virginia, became besieged by purchase orders and soon ran out of the labels, which customers demanded.
The boutique now has a huge backlog of orders, coowner Chris Lewis said.
“I’m shipping them all over the world now,” Lewis said. “Orders are so furious, I can’t keep up.”
A firefighter wears a face mask with the colors of the French flag, prior to the Bastille Day parade on the Champs-Élysées avenue in Paris.
After House Speaker Nancy Pelosi began wearing masks that matched her outfits, people watching her on TV noticed they had a small donna lewis label on them. The boutique in Alexandria, Va., became besieged by purchase orders and soon ran out of the labels, which trend-conscious customers demanded.
When President Donald Trump wore a mask publicly for the first time, he chose a navy-blue one that bore the presidential seal. It also matched the color of his suit.
Perhaps showing some fashion sense, when President Donald Trump wore a mask publicly for the first time Saturday, he chose a navy-blue one that bore the presidential seal and matched the color of his suit.
Thanks to mask sales, Etsy, the online crafts marketplace, has seen revenue jump. In April alone, Etsy sold 12 million masks, generating $133 million in sales.
“If face masks were a standalone category, it would have been the second biggest category on Etsy in the month of April,” CEO Josh Silverman said.
Second-quarter revenue, to be announced in August, will likely show mask sales are red hot.
Black masks are in highest demand, followed by white and floral patterns, Etsy spokeswoman Lily Cohen said.
“We are seeing lots of unique variations on masks, including personalization with names and monograms ... styles with animal faces or lips,” she said.
There’s also the comical, like the one that says, “Resting mask face.”
Also available are masks saying, “Black lives matter” with an image of a raised fist. Some businesses have told employees they can’t wear them, sparking debate about appropriate workplace attire and the desire to show solidarity with the fight against racism.
Masks can show patriotism as well as activism.
In Paris, a firefighter wore a face covering with the colors of the French flag before marching in the Bastille Day parade celebrating the national holiday this week along the Champs Elysees. Others at a protest across town wore yellow masks, representing the yellow vest movement against economic injustice that began in late 2018.
Workers at restaurants and other businesses are wearing masks with corporate logos. Oregon Gov. Kate Brown wears one showing the state flag.
In Colombia, dozens of fashion companies have pivoted to producing masks, including ones with colorful images of toucans, jaguars and other tropical designs that normally go on expensive swimsuits. South Africans often sport masks made of colorful African fabrics.