ARCHIVED - Dozens of reports in Murcia of weekend lockdown breakers going to holiday homes

3,700 fined in Spain for heading for second homes at the beach and in the countryside

After two weeks of lockdown it appears that some people in Murcia (and the rest of Spain!) are still unaware of the need to limit the occasions on which they leave their homes, and the 112 emergency service coordination line reports receiving another 40 calls on Saturday and Sunday from members of the public reporting that neighbours appeared to be breaching the restrictions.

It may be that the brief respite from the unrelentingly miserable weather of the last fortnight or so went to people’s heads, but in the whole of Spain the Guardia Civil report that 3,695 people were fined over the weekend for attempting to travel to their second homes on the coast or in the countryside. These fines were the result of 7,096 spot checks on the roads, meaning that over half of all drivers stopped turned out to be travelling without justification, a frightening statistic given the importance of the lockdown restrictions at present.

On Sunday alone the Guardia filed reports on a total of 4,260 people for disobeying the restrictions in various ways and the Policía Nacional fined another 4,810, bringing their figure for the last fortnight up to 66,990. Among those detained are examples of cyclists claiming that they live next to the place where they have been detained although in reality their homes might be 20 or 30 kilometres away, people claiming to be walking the Camino de Santiago route in northern Spain despite having no backpack or other equipment and, most commonly, drivers claiming they have just nipped out to buy a loaf of bread: in one case an individual was 21 kilometres from his home on such a mission.

In Murcia over the weekend, meanwhile, the offences reported over the weekend included people sunbathing on the beach in Puerto de Mazarrón and Cabo de Palos and impromptu parties being held on roof terraces, while numerous reports have been received from people living on the coast of their neighbours from the city of Murcia spending the weekend in holiday homes.

Of course the warm, sunny weather over the weekend made a trip to the coast an attractive proposition, but it appears that what is really a very simple message has yet to be understood by a surprisingly large number of people in the Costa Cálida: LOCKDOWN MEANS LOCKDOWN!

Remember: STAY AT HOME. STAY SAFE AND DO YOUR BIT TO REDUCE THE SPREAD OF CORONAVIRUS.

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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!