Beach baptism ceremony broken up

FINES have been issued after 30 people were caught carrying out a baptism ceremony at a beach in Alicante city.

Local police noted that the participants were breaking antiCovid legislation which bans groups of more than 10 people meeting up. They reported the infraction at Playa de la Almadraba on Sunday.

A spokesman for city hall explained that officers had carried out an inspection of the beaches along the city’s coastline that morning.

They spotted a large group of people gathered at a marquee which had been set up on the sand.

When they questioned the participants, the officers were told that a baptism ceremony was taking place. The spokesman stated that the organisers were issued with fines and the people at the gathering were ‘ dispersed’.

He added that officers carried out numerous patrols around the city at the weekend to check that people were observing rules designed to spread of Covid19.

Officers issued 72 fines for failure to wear a face mask in public areas and drinking alcohol in the street or on the beach.

In one of the incidents youngsters were holding a drinks party in the Urbanova area in the early hours of the morning and another gathering was broken up in the Palmeral park. They also intervened over alleged illegal car races which were being held at Agua Amarga, where they dispersed a crown of people and three fines were handed out.

Fining procedures have been started against two bar owners who had failed to ensure that their tables were a ‘ safe distance apart’ and another two owners who were hosting live music on their terraces.