Date Published: 26/07/2021
ARCHIVED - Murcian regional government prohibits gatherings after two in the morning
ARCHIVED ARTICLE Between two and six in the morning, gatherings of non co-habiting adults are prohibited.
Image: Policia Local on the beach of neighbouring Alicante province preventing young adults from drinking alcohol at night
The Region of Murcia Covid Monitoring Committee met on Monday (July 26) as has become habitual during the months of the Covid pandemic and agreed to extend the measures currently in place in response to the continued increase in the numbers of new cases being reported.
Every municipality in the region has reported new covid cases within the last 14 days and every municipality except Aledo has reported new cases within the last seven days:
The cumulative incidence rate in the Region has jumped up by 30 per cent over the past week and the incidence rate over a seven day period now stands at 237.6 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, with the 14-day figure at 424.
It is known that the virus is spreading through the younger members of the population, so this weekend the municipalities of Molina de Segura, Lorquí, Murcia, Cartagena, Águilas, La Unión, San Pedro del Pinatar, San Javier, Fortuna, Librilla and Archena held mass testings for younger residents in an effort to identify further outbreaks, with1,462 tests yielding 60 positives.
The younger age group (15 to 29) has been hit the hardest in this fifth wave of the coronavirus pandemic, and 1,438 positive cases within this age group were reported in the last week alone, giving an incidence rate of 554.8 in this segment of the population.
This is the reason why the regional health authority has decided to try and prevent the mass gatherings of young people, particularly limiting the botellón, open-air drinking sessions which are so popular with young adults.
Last week the committee banned the sale of alcohol in venues other than bars and restaurants after 10 p.m. and in addition this week has banned gatherings between two and six in the morning, in both public and private spaces.
Furthermore, the size of gatherings is limited to ten people (this measure must be ratified by the regional TSJ court; last week the court permitted the restrictions as being in the public interest).
The high incidence level across the region means that all of the municipalities except Abanilla, Cehegín, Aledo and Calasparra are now on Level three (high), which implies a limitation of 30 per cent to the internal occupation of bars and restaurants.
Clients must remains seated and are not permitted to eat or drink at the bar.
Click here to see the full restrictions in place this week.