Hefty fines for those who defy the lockdown
More than 102,000 people have been fined around the country
SPAIN is now into its second week of lockdown, and there is a stronger police presence than ever.
At the weekend there were traffic jams as residents attempted to leave cities such as Madrid, Valencia and Barcelona to go to their holiday homes in coastal areas or in the countryside.
Guardia Civil officers set up checkpoints on exit roads to see who had a legitimate reason for travel, and fined everybody who didn’t and forced them to return home.
On Tuesday minister for the interior Fernando Grande-Marlaska reported that more than 102,000 people have been fined and 932 have been arrested for breaking the confinement rules set out under the state of emergency decree.
These included a 76-yearold man who was spotted out on the streets hunting Pokémon’s on his mobile phone.
Others caught out and about claimed they didn’t know there was a lockdown as they had no television sets.
The most popular excuse was ‘I am going to buy bread’. But police then caught them on the way back to their homes with no bread, and no shopping receipts, so they were fined.
In Alicante city, a group of youngsters were caught taking part in a ‘botellon’ (outdoor drinking party).
Many cyclists have been fined, one man being caught three times the same morning. Villajoyosa local police pulled up a local drug peddler, who was breaking the lockdown to distribute his home grown marijuana amongst his clients.
He was found to be carrying two plastic bins full of weed in his car.
The authorities are rapidly losing patience and are going to punish all offenders, with fines ranging from €601 for first-time offenders, up to €30,000 or even arrest.
Alicante authorities also remind people that whatever is banned on public roads is also banned on private urbanizations. So no sporting events are allowed, i.e. use of tennis courts, swimming pools, parties, jogging, groups of people, etc.
They are also asking people to call 112 if they spot groups of people out and about or breaking quarantine rules.
More than 900 people have been fined in Torrevieja alone for breaking the confinement rules set out under the state of emergency decree, the town hall revealed on Tuesday.
Council spokesman Federico Alarcón noted that less people were now being stopped as residents had realised the seriousness of the situation.
Dog walkers beware
Due to so many people abusing dog walking regulations, such as the man who was caught walking his pet seven kilometres from his home, and another group from an apartment block in Alicante, who did a relay effort walking the same dog for a whole morning, each town seems to have cracked down.
Dog walkers are reminded that they should only be a maximum of 100 metres from their home and proof of ownership has to be carried.