News in Brief for the Costa Blanca North area

Keep fit BENIDORM town hall installed an outdoor gym with six pieces of equipment designed with senior citizens in mind at the Calle Esperanto and Avenida Orts Llorca intersection.   The new zone is an addition to the existing 20 workout zones located principally in the town centre and La Cala.
Covid blow DENIA’S mayor Vicente Grimalt confirmed that he had “like many Spaniards” tested positive for Covid after Christmas, despite having reduced his family contacts, and was self-isolating at home.  Feeling off-colour but not seriously ill, Grimat urged everyone to be very careful and continue working “in a different manner.”
Javea help JAVEA town hall paid €427,270 to 91 small local businesses and self-employed who were affected economically by the pandemic and have received between €2,000 and €8,000 each.  Fifty requests were rejected because applicants were not registered in Javea for tax purposes or had received previous Recuperem Xabia grants.
Booster shots ARMY medics belonging to 20 mobile units are joining the 149 Generalitat Health department’s teams currently delivering Covid booster shots at permanent vaccination centres.  This will speed up the all-important campaign to immunise the over-60s as well those who received a single Janssen vaccine or two Astra-Zeneca jabs.
Extra pay CAMPELLO town hall spending on overtime for municipal employees increased by 45 per cent in 2021, paying out more than €330,000 despite an allocation of only €126,000.  Pedro Mario Pardo, spokesman for the Esquerra Unida party, accused the town hall of an “unacceptable” absence of planning and organisation.