-
- Click Here for more information
- Region
- Águilas
- Alhama de Murcia
- Jumilla
- Lorca
- Los Alcázares
- Mazarrón
- San Javier
-
ALL AREAS & TOWNS
- AREAS
- SOUTH WEST
- MAR MENOR
- MURCIA CITY & CENTRAL
- NORTH & NORTH WEST
- TOWNS
- Abanilla
- Abarán
- Aguilas
- Alamillo
- Alcantarilla
- Aledo
- Alhama de Murcia
- Archena
- Balsicas
- Blanca
- Bolnuevo
- Bullas
- Cañadas del Romero
- Cabo de Palos
- Calasparra
- Camping Bolnuevo
- Campo De Ricote
- Camposol
- Canada De La Lena
- Caravaca de la Cruz
- Cartagena
- Cehegin
- Ceuti
- Cieza
- Condado de Alhama
- Corvera
- Costa Cálida
- Cuevas De Almanzora
- Cuevas de Reyllo
- El Carmoli
- El Mojon
- El Molino (Puerto Lumbreras)
- El Pareton / Cantareros
- El Raso
- El Valle Golf Resort
- Fortuna
- Fuente Alamo
- Hacienda del Alamo Golf Resort
- Hacienda Riquelme Golf Resort
- Isla Plana
- Islas Menores & Mar de Cristal
- Jumilla
- La Azohia
- La Charca
- La Manga Club
- La Manga del Mar Menor
- La Pinilla
- La Puebla
- La Torre
- La Torre Golf Resort
- La Unión
- Las Palas
- Las Ramblas
- Las Ramblas Golf
- Las Torres de Cotillas
- Leiva
- Librilla
- Lo Pagan
- Lo Santiago
- Lorca
- Lorquí
- Los Alcázares
- Los Balcones
- Los Belones
- Los Canovas
- Los Nietos
- Los Perez (Tallante)
- Los Urrutias
- Los Ventorrillos
- Mar De Cristal
- Mar Menor
- Mar Menor Golf Resort
- Mazarrón
- Mazarrón Country Club
- Molina de Segura
- Moratalla
- Mula
- Murcia City
- Murcia Property
- Pareton
- Peraleja Golf Resort
- Perin
- Pilar de la Horadada
- Pinar de Campoverde
- Pinoso
- Playa Honda
- Playa Honda / Playa Paraíso
- Pliego
- Portmán
- Pozo Estrecho
- Puerto de Mazarrón
- Puerto Lumbreras
- Puntas De Calnegre
- Region of Murcia
- Ricote
- Roda Golf Resort
- Roldan
- Roldan and Lo Ferro
- San Javier
- San Pedro del Pinatar
- Santiago de la Ribera
- Sierra Espuña
- Sucina
- Tallante
- Terrazas de la Torre Golf Resort
- Torre Pacheco
- Totana
- What's On Weekly Bulletin
- Yecla
- EDITIONS: Spanish News Today Alicante Today Andalucia Today
article_detailDate Published: 07/04/2020ARCHIVED ARTICLEARCHIVED - Hundreds fined as they flock to the coast in Murcia despite lockdown restrictions
Determined lockdown breakers risk arrest if they repeatedly attempt to reach their holiday homes
The Easter processions and other celebrations may have been cancelled this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic but the habits of Spaniards are deeply ingrained, and it appears that many of them are failing to resist the temptation to undertake their annual Semana Santa trip to holiday homes in the Costa Cálida for a little spring sunshine.
In consequence a sharp spike has been reported over the last couple of days in the number of fines being handed out by police and Guardia Civil officers to people breaking the lockdown travel restrictions as they head for the coast of Murcia, with efforts being stepped up to intercept them. Anticipating the predictable attempts by holidaymakers to reach the Costas under the cover of darkness, the Ministry of the Interior has confirmed that special attention is being paid to those using the roads by night, both on highways leading out of major cities and on roads which give access to coastal resorts.
In the Region of Murcia alone between Friday and Sunday the national law enforcement bodies made 5 arrests and reported over 900 people for breaking the lockdown restrictions which are in place during the state of emergency, with 170 fines imposed by the Policía Nacional and 737 by the Guardia. On top of this it has to be remembered that the local police forces are looking out for offenders in each municipality, making the overall total significantly higher.
Predictably, most of the offenders intercepted are reported to have been in La Manga, around the Mar Menor and in Mazarrón and Águilas in the south-west of the Region, and although the Mayor of San Javier claimed on Saturday that reports of numerous tourists arriving were “hoaxes”, numerous residents of La Manga (part of which lies in the municipality of San Javier) are adamant that this is not the case.
On social media many are complaining that neighbours have arrived and continue to do so; some canny apartment owners avoided "the rush" at the weekend and attempted to sneak into their apartments by driving over in the middle of the night on Monday!
In Cartagena, meanwhile, the Policía Local and Guardia Civil set up extra checkpoints on the only access road to La Manga and around Cabo de Palos, La Manga, Los Urrutias, Los Nietos, Playa Honda and Mar de Cristal, but still permanent residents report seeing more and more visitors on the streets and more spot checks are being carried out at supermarkets in Cabo de Palos.
Cartagena Policia Local has issued 58 fines to those found to be breaking the lockdown without justification over the weekend, and issued a further 24 denuncias against second home owners found to be in properties in coastal areas which are not their habitual residence. 355 vehicle checks were carried out over the three day period.
The problems are expected to reach a peak on Thursday and Friday as the long Easter weekend gets under way, and already Mario Pérez, the Mayor of Los Alcázares, has informed of people being intercepted and fined only to return for another attempt after a couple of hours, thus risking arrest.
Those attempting to travel to the coast are, of course, aware that they are breaking the law during the state of emergency, and apart from travelling by night in order to avoid detection they are also making use of minor roads and back streets in an attempt to dodge the police checks. All in all it is hard to understand their actions, given that once they arrive on the coast there is little opportunity for them to enjoy their stay as they would in a “normal” Semana Santa!
Nationally, the Guardia Civíl have issued 3,157 fines and undertaken more than 18,000 checks on motorists across the weekend.
This is fractionally less than the pervious weekend when 3,685 fines were issued, although is still way too high.
Remember: LOCKDOWN MEANS LOCKDOWN. STAY AT HOME. STAY SAFE AND DO YOUR BIT TO REDUCE THE SPREAD OF CORONAVIRUS.
Follow Murcia Today on Facebook to keep up to date with all the latest updates locally for the Region of Murcia and the main information for the rest of Spain: https://www.facebook.com/MurciaToday/.
Our local area groups are as follows. These are designed to filter locally specific information and may be used by clubs, charities, any of the businesses who work with us to ensure information is available to residents in English and for those living in the specific areas. They are not buy and sell groups, do not accept any bickering or argumentative so and so's, are not "open for any old rubbish" pages, and are not trying to compete with your local comunity groups, they are specifically for sharing good, relevant local information and we hope you will use them for that during this difficult time.
Around Mazarrón news, events and local info: Click to join
Mazarrón, Fuente Álamo, Águilas, Lorca, Totana, Puerto Lumbreras, Camposol, Alhama de Murcia. Click to join (all within a half hour drive of each other)
Mar Menor news, events and local info. Click to join (this includes all the Mar Menor municipalities and Cartagena)
North-west Murcia: Bullas, Mula, Cehegin, Caravaca, Cieza, Calasparra, Jumilla, Moratalla info. Click to join
What to do if you are in the Region of Murcia and believe you may have contracted the virus
The regional government has set up a special helpline to supply information to members of the public (900 121212) if they suspect that they may have contracted the virus rather than going straight to hospital or to a medical centre.
Sensible precautions
The advice being issued to members of the public by medical authorities all over the world coincides on the following points:
- Wash hands frequently with either soap and water or a sanitiser gel
- Catch coughs and sneezes with disposable tissues – and throw the tissues away immediately after use before immediately washing your hands!
- If you don’t have a tissue, use your sleeve – and wash the item of clothing used at the next opportunity
- AVOID touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands
- AVOID close contact with people who are unwell
- Don´t panic!
article_detail
Contact Murcia Today: Editorial 966 260 896 / Office 968 018 268
To be listed on the CAMPOSOL TODAY MAP please call +34 968 018 268.
To be listed on the CONDADO TODAY MAP please call +34 968 018 268.
Guidelines for submitting articles to Camposol Today
Hello, and thank you for choosing CamposolToday.com to publicise your organisation’s info or event.
Camposol Today is a website set up by Murcia Today specifically for residents of the urbanisation in Southwest Murcia, providing news and information on what’s happening in the local area, which is the largest English-speaking expat area in the Region of Murcia.
When submitting text to be included on Camposol Today, please abide by the following guidelines so we can upload your article as swiftly as possible:
Send an email to editor@camposoltoday.com or contact@murciatoday.com
Attach the information in a Word Document or Google Doc
Include all relevant points, including:
Who is the organisation running the event?
Where is it happening?
When?
How much does it cost?
Is it necessary to book beforehand, or can people just show up on the day?
…but try not to exceed 300 words
Also attach a photo to illustrate your article, no more than 100kb