Despite it being one of the busiest periods of the year, Luis Ruiz Rodríguez, the manager of all of Orihuela’s museums, has ignored the instructions issued by the council and taken the decision to close over the Easter period.
According to the councillor for culture, Rafael Almagro, he was only made aware of the decision on Wednesday afternoon when the municipal offices were already closed and he had no time to react and reverse the situation. He said that he tried, unsuccessfully, to contact Rodríguez.
The mayor of Orihuela, Emilio Bascuñana, then sent a letter urging the manager to take “the appropriate measures so that the museums and the rest of the cultural services are opened with absolute normality in in the city also denounced the close in week that will see far more tourists in the municipality.
The City’s shopkeepers are also up in arms about the move.
“Easter in Orihuela is one of the most important economic periods. For this reason, the Association of Merchants of the Municipality of Orihuela does not understand how the city’s museums can be closed on such important dates and with far more tourists in the city”, said it’s spokesman.
Rodríguez, who was appointed by Ciudadanos, justified the closure saying that it would be necessary to hire additional staff, expenses that are not affordable, since, according to the work calendar of the province of Alicante, Thursday and Friday are holidays and Saturday and Sunday are days off.
