Gibraltar, enjoying life without masks

The Union flag was flying at half-mast when we visited Gibraltar because, like the UK, people in this British Overseas Territory were mourning the death of the Duke of Edinburgh. But in contrast with London, their tears were not being caught by the top of a face mask because - out in the street, at least - masks are no longer compulsory in Gibraltar.

"It feels wonderful, I'm breathing fresh air again," said one lady when we asked her how it felt to have left her face mask at home.

We should point out that the Gibraltarians are not being irresponsible; on the contrary, nearly every resident of the Rock and many of the cross-border workers from Spain have now been vaccinated. A couple of weeks ago, the government announced that although masks will still have to be worn in some places, they are no longer needed outside.

Further measures are also gradually being relaxed, and the government hopes that others can be lifted by mid-May, as long as Covid-19 cases remain very low. However, general precautionary measures such as contact tracing, staff monitoring and regular cleaning and sanitising are still in place on the Rock.

To visitors, the new normal here looks very similar to the situation pre-pandemic, but it is noticeably quieter than it used to be. Casemates Square, which was always full of tourists who had come for a day's shopping or sightseeing, was practically empty on this occasion.

In this epicentre of the town is Al Fresco's café, a family business run by Christine Oton and her son Michael. Both are smiling and seem very optimistic about the situation. "People seem so much happier now they don't have to wear masks," says Christine, as she sips a coffee on the café terrace. However, she is the only person there, even though it is nearly midday. The lack of visitors is rather worrying for local businesses.

With provincial borders closed within Andalucía, fewer tourists are able to walk or drive into Gibraltar from Spain. There have been no cruise ships since the pandemic began, and international travel restrictions have significantly reduced the numbers of people flying in from the UK for a holiday or short break.

The shops, bars, restaurants and hotels are noticing the change. "But we have to be optimistic," says Michael. "Until not long ago we didn't know when the vaccines would be arriving in Gibraltar, and now we are nearly all vaccinated. You can really see a difference. People here are much more motivated and cheerful now."

He is not the only one to think so. Joseph, Julio and Iván, three pensioners from Gibraltar, are enjoying a Guinness in the Horseshoe pub. "Everything's fine here, but obviously we could do with more visitors," one of them says.

We are so used to seeing people wearing masks in Spain that Gibraltar comes as a bit of a shock, with large groups of people chatting and greeting others with a hug and a kiss.

Difference in vaccinations

A recent press release from the Gibraltar government stated that every local resident who wanted to be vaccinated had been, and so had at least 10,000 of the approximately 15,000 cross-border workers by then. The difference in the vaccination rates in Spain and Gibraltar is clear. In Spain, it is considerably lower.

This can lead to some strange situations. For example, Miriam, who is from Algeciras, and Eli, from La Línea, work in a gift shop in Main Street. One has been vaccinated in Gibraltar, but the other is still waiting to be called, one side of the border or the other.

"We're quite used to this type of situation here," she says. "I'll just have to wait. Anyway, in the meantime, it's lovely to be able to look around and see everyone much more relaxed. It makes you feel that bit by bit we are starting to return to something like normal life at last," she says.