We still get 800 new cases a day in the islands ( Balearics) up here. Life is almost normal for the first time in 18 months , with some restrictions, and night clubs etc not allowed to be open. We have 57 percent of the islands fully vaccinated, which means we can all still get it, but less seriously if we do. The biggest group 16-29 years is where most of the cases are, and over all 80% of new cases are unvaccinated people and only 6% of people with both jabs are getting it, the other 14% is people with one jab. They are struggling to keep the 16-29 year old age group in check, due to the culture of street parties etc, that is where most of the infections happen. Its hard for the Police etc to disperse 10000 yes 10000 of them at a street party in an industrial estate party one night, they are pissed off youth who are also drunk and drugged and tired of having been locked up for so long, with the restrictions that we have lived with for the last 18 months. The kids have had it really tough, that doesnt mean I agree with what they are doing, but I can see why they want their life back to some sense of normality, how to manage that especially in the age group where they are fully over being told what to do, because they are teens and they have been told what to do their whole life, is beyond me .i struggle enough with my kids when they are belligerent because I have asked them to unload the dishwasher, or I have turned the wifi off after 10pm on a school night.
Another tough thing that is crippling businesses ( we are largely reliant on tourism) here is that the government just cant get it, that people should have a negative test to get to our islands, vaccinated or not you can still carry it. They are letting people through to the islands , who have been vaccinated, but not needing a negative test, this is what has helped brought the delta variant to Mallorca, national and foreign travellers that are let through without testing. By allowing non tested people through, those that are carriers, vaccinated or not , is what brings the different variants to us here, which in turn brings in new restrictions, which nails the small businesses here, when they could just say no entry unless tested. We had 30 % of restaurants go out of business because of covid, and 20% of other businesses close down as well. Its hard to see that , and we feel for everyone here. Testing wont stop it, but it will help us. I hope Australia gets it sorted, as so many people we know have had their lives ruined because of this. I hope it doesn't happen in Australia or NZ. I hope people see that lock downs do actually help. Tough as they are. But living up here and being a small group of islands hasn't helped much at all. We could be in far worse places like in African nations and India etc, but it hs still been hard here, and I see it in my kids too.
with
