Alicante beaches could be closed overnight to stop parties and curb the spread of Covid-19

Alicante City Council is considering closing beaches overnight, from 1am to 7am, in a bid to prevent outdoor parties and curb the spread of coronavirus.

Security Councilor, José Ramón González, met with the chief commissioner of the Local Police, José María Conesa, to “expand and reinforce” measures to deal with parties both outside and indoors.
The increase in positive cases in Covid-19 in recent weeks has led Mayor, Luis Barcala, to ask the Local Police for an “increase in controls and the measures that are being applied on weekends to guarantee the safety of Alicante residents”.
He said the main the aim is to “put a stop to street and private home parties, as they are places where there is a risk of contagion”.
At the meeting yesterday (Thursday, September 24), it was agreed that new reinforcement measures will be applied from this evening, in particular in areas “where young people are known to consume alcohol”.
“The intention, in addition to preventing the consumption of alcohol on public roads, which is prohibited, is to put an end to meetings in which basic safety rules are not respected, such as maintaining distance and the use of masks. In parallel, there will be new controls to alleviate noise disturbances and facilitate coexistence,” said the council in a statement.
González added: “This crash plan reinforces all the measures that we have been implementing for months in certain parts of the city and parks where groups of young people are concentrated.”
At the same time, he appealed to young people not to put themselves in “risky situations”, adding: “You are not exempt from the possibility of contagion and you can bring the virus to your homes and infect the rest of your families.”
Among measures dicussed, the possibility of closing the beaches from 1am to 7am is “being studied”.
At the meeting, emphasis was also placed on strengthening controls to avoid private parties at homes.
González said: “We have an average of more than 100 complaints about noise and disturbances in homes every weekend.
“We are going to double the actions of the Local Police to stop these encounters, which may be sanctioned with fines of up to €3,000. This is not the time to lower our guard and the youngest must be aware of the risk they run, not to mention the damages, both in terms of health and economically, that an increase in cases of contagion could have on the city of Alicante.
“The ordinance establishes that any disturbing activity inside the house is prohibited, especially from 10pm to 8am, such as parties or games.”
The Local Police confirmed that in the first three weeks of September, a total of 330 complaints were filed for “disobedience in the use of masks and the consumption of alcohol in the street”.
Four bars have been closed and 30 establishments have been sanctioned for not keeping the distances between tables and not complying with closing hours.
The police has also become aware, through social networks, that a party has been organised “to say goodbye to the summer” on the island of Tabarca, and has launched an operation to prevent it.
“Controls will be established on the island so that this party does not take place and there are no crowds that could cause new infections on the island,” said Alicante Council.
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