THE BEST FINANCE NEWS ON PAGES 14 - 17 Issue No. 1910 10 - 16 February 2022
Photo credit: Palma Council
Preserving the health of the olive tree.
Olivera de Cort THE iconic olive tree, the Olivera de Cort was donated to Pal‐ ma in 1989 by busi‐ nessman Jaume Ba‐ tle and at the time of moving it from the Pollensa Pedruixella Petit estate was be‐ lieved to weigh be‐ tween three and four tons. Now, the century‐ old tree which is considered to be a specimen of special value to the munici‐ pality has grown considerably and its root system may well be too large for the area in which it is planted. In order to check its health and to map the extent of the root system, the Pal‐ ma Council arranged to scan the area with a special ‘tree radar’ device which will al‐ low experts to de‐ cide whether the ground in which it is planted needs to be expanded to ensure that the tree is safe and well cared for.
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ART IN COURT Photo credit: Hotel artmadams Facebook
NEW PAINTING: Presentation of the artwork.
FACE MASKS: No longer required in most outdoor spaces.
BUSINESSES and residents across Spain are cel‐ ebrating after masks will no longer be legally re‐ quired in most outdoor spaces from today, Thursday, February 10, bringing the country one step closer to normality. Spain’s Minister of Health, Carolina Darias confirmed the move, with face coverings no longer mandatory in most spaces including school playgrounds, in a statement on Tuesday, February 8. The minister also announced that the Public Health Commission is studying shortening the quarantine period for positive cases to be‐ tween three and five days. While a welcome change for many, the law still requires masks in two outdoor situations, including at crowded events when standing, and when social distancing cannot be ob‐ served, for example, when sitting. Regional governments across Spain also rec‐ ommend wearing masks in crowds. The measure was agreed at a government meeting where officials also decided to in‐ crease capacity at sports events, including the Football League and the ACB basketball, which will go from 75 per cent to 85 per cent capacity
if held in outdoor venues and 50 per cent to 75 per cent if indoors. Spectators will also be required to respect measures including mandatory masks and so‐ cial distancing. The issue of masks has been a contentious one throughout the pandemic, splitting opinion over balancing the need to protect public health, while upholding some of Spain’s most‐ valued civil liberties. Advocates of face coverings argue they are a small inconvenience to wearers but a vital step in protecting others. Meanwhile, many against mandatory masks accuse the government of interfering with civil liberties. Regardless of personal views, many busi‐ nesses across Spain are rejoicing at the news, hoping that this move towards normality will signal an increase in tourist numbers this year. Michala Larsen Aguilera of restaurant group Da Bruno told the Euro Weekly News: “I’m delighted that we can finally take them off and hope this means we can enjoy a great summer without people afraid of going out. “Hopefully the tourism will pick up and we can go back to business as usual.”
LAST year, the Palma Council advised the owners of the Hotel Artmadams that a mural by artist Jose Luís Mesas which covers the entire exterior of the build‐ ing would have to be removed. As part of an ongoing battle, the owners have now appealed against the decision by the town planners and until a decision is made, asked that the order to remove the mural be suspended and as the Council did not respond within the due time, it is assumed that the suspension is in place. The lawyers for the hotel argue that this is a gen‐ uine work of art and to remove it would be damag‐ ing to the hotel and the artist. Perhaps ironically in view of the argument, a new‐ ly created painting by the artist was presented to the European Parliament by Balearic President Francina Armengol on February 4.