Hard Rock Hotel hosted last night the pilot test with which the sector, grouped in Leisure of Ibiza, wants to demonstrate to the Government that the island’s nightclubs can open this summer with safety guarantees. The Balearic Minister of Tourism and Labor, Iago Negueruela, was present and was able to inspect the entire set-up so that the 1,500 guests could enjoy the party ‘Children of the 80’s’ without fear of becoming infected. After passing the test, the clubs are now confident they will be able to reopen their doors in mid-July .
“We deserve it. We have been on the front line for a year risking our lives. Carmen Antelo, health emergency technician, was the first, together with her colleagues Pedro and Toni, both health workers, attended the ‘Children of the 80s’ party yesterday, which served as a pilot test for the forthcoming reopening of nightlife, for the moment outdoors. She was elated: “We are young people. Just as we have fought against the pandemic, now we want to enjoy ourselves”, explained Toni when asked why they had arrived so early. Antelo was also clear about what she was coming: “Are we are going to dance? Of course, we have to dance, ” she said, emphasising the last three words.
«This is like an exam» , José Luis Benítez, manager of Ocio de Ibiza, who spent the last week thoroughly preparing for the test. The sector was aware of what was at stake last night, so everything was meticulously organised, going to great lengths to minimize possible errors. They even hired twice the usual controllers and carried out more than 400 antigen tests for free (this was done by Emergency Staff; paid for by Palladium Hotel Group) to the attendees and to the employees themselves : «We have done many tests on all our staff, as many, due to their age, have not yet been vaccinated. They will be checked from next week onwards, like the rest of the guests. We will share all the data with the Balearic Ministry of Health ».
Abel Matutes Prats, Vicent Marí, Iago Negueruela, Abel Matutes Juan and Juan Miguel Costa pose on the VIP terrace.
Even Iago Negueruela, Balearic Minister of Labor and Tourism, traveled to the island to witness the test, among other matters. “He wants to see how everything works, how it all breathes”, in the words of Benítez. The minister was also aware of what was at stake and that, literally, the world was looking at Ibiza last night: «Negueruela has just arrived at the hotel and has told me ‘this has to go well, it’s the starting gun’. I told him that I have been working on this for a month and a half, full time, to make sure it’s perfect. This will be the island’s entertainment showcase ”, according to Benítez, who described the minister as“ the toughest examiner of the Balearic government ”. He knows this because he has been dealing with him for months. But the Balearic Minister of Labor saw first-hand not only how the whole operation works, but also the employment generated by an event of this type: 40 waiters, 37 access controllers, 14 health workers, 30 maintenance and cleaning members, and 50 Go-Go dancers and stage personnel, as well as DJs were employed. In total, more than 170 people.
To enter the venue, two previous controls had to be passed: one to measure body temperature, another to test that attendees were free from Covid | VM
During the event, the organizers themselves acted as self-evaluators: “We make sure, through the access controllers, that people maintain the sanitary standards. We are very vigilant. In the drinking area you can only drink. In the dance area you can’t drink. You have to wear a mask at all times… We have reinforced the hotel’s security staff so that they are on top of the public at all times. There are now almost twice as many: from the 20 who normally worked at the ‘Children’ it has increased to 37”. In the four areas where it was possible to drink, someone, in the midst of euphoria, broke out into a little dance, which was only logical, but they quickly repressed their impulses. In addition, the controllers were always on hand, either to remind people to wear masks at all times, or to insist that glasses with drinks in them could not cross the border with the dance floor, which was open, with large openings to prevent anyone from feeling caged in.
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