Party in the ( natural) park

Locals fear Covid spike

BIRTHDAY celebrations at 753 metres were discovered on the summit of the Montgó on Saturday night as an emergency rescue team scaled the mountain believing walkers were in trouble.

Flashing lights were spotted on the peak and believing it was an SOS, alarms were sounded in Jávea with the police, firefighters and the ambulance service all put on alert.

As a result, a pair of firefighters undertook the climb to the top of the Montgó to investigate and found nine revellers celebrating a birthday with an illegal party and two other people also ‘ wild camping’.

Because of the risks of a descent in the dark, all 11 were allowed to remain until first light when they were shepherded down and introduced to officers of the Guardia Civil.

The 11 were all young adults and the partygoers were discovered to be from San Juan and Alcoy and will be reported for illicit camping in the natural park.

A police spokesman branded both groups as ‘ irresponsible’ and said lost and stranded hikers have used lights to attract attention in the past and it was believed it was a call for help.

However, the incident and an illegal rave in Pego put the area back in the national news for blatantly breaching Covid- 19 rules – crowded nightclubs and villa parties in Jávea have already made headlines this summer.

Spike

It was the talk of café terraces in Jávea on Monday morning; local residents fearing a spike in Covid- 19 cases through such breaches of health guidelines.

One told CBN: “I have bronchitis and have been very careful since the health emergency began; I stick to two cafes and one supermarket when I go out in a bid to avoid getting infected.

“The summer was a huge worry for me with people arriving on holiday. Jávea needs tourists but there has to be control because of the virus.

“It would be better if the clubs were open, that way people’s details can be noted, and they can be traced if there is a positive case. At least that gives some sort of control.”

Another said the rave in Pego had seen hundreds of revellers head for the town from across Spain and sheer numbers prevented outnumbered police breaking up the gathering until it was over.

“No one was wearing a mask; it was deliberately staged in one of the least accessible areas of the rice fields and there were not enough police to do anything until people began leaving,” he said.

“We are all worried about the future and the Covid- 19 pandemic. We don’t want another lockdown… this sort of behaviour is disgraceful.”