Diexter Thomas
THE Royal Gibraltar Police has urged people not to go to the beach for reasons other than exercise as it gets warmer.
Normally people would go for a leisurely dip and hang out with their families at this time of year, but this has now been banned.
“What we are trying to dissuade and will not allow is the recreational side of swimming and paddling for the sake of it,” said RGP Commissioner Ian McGrail.
“If you want to jog on the beach or walk the dog are on the promenade, feel free, but all within a reasonable time.
“Picnicking and sunbathing will not be allowed it because it breaches the regulations.”
Police officers will be patrolling the beaches for the time being to dissuade people from ‘venturing to these areas in contravention of the regulations’.
“Our dedication to protecting the community is stronger than ever,” he said RGP Commissioner Ian McGrail.
“We inquire from people who are out and about, we talk to them and help them understand the restrictions in place.”
“We’ll make it clear that we are dealing with a serious health crisis, and that they must obey our request.”
The warning came as people continued to break the social lock-down rules which have now been in place for 16 days.
Zero tolerance
Reports have been made of everyone sighted outside their homes without a valid reason with the information put together for ‘profiling’, according to McGrail.
Around 40 elderly people have had to be escorted home after they were seen around the street
Two juveniles were arrested yesterday at Line Wall Road and were taken to the Juvenile Court earlier today after breaching the Civil Contingency Regulations and refusing to return home.
A tough stance continues to be taken on recreational drug use as a 23-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of having Cannabis resin.
This led to the arrest of a 29-year-old man for the possession of hash and both are now on police bail.
“Failure to comply will mean we will use the powers afforded to us in law,” McGrail warned.
The Commissioner urged people to not make the circumstances any more ‘awkward’ by not complying, and was delighted to say that the majority of the population was complying with the emergency regulations.
The sanctions currently in place are a ‘level five monetary fine’ meaning that people may have to pay from £1 to £10,000 if they do not comply.
The RGP chief has said that on the spot fines will be ‘a last resort’ if these rules are not followed.
Fourth in the world
Approximately 4.7% of the community has now been tested, according to the Deputy Chief Minister Joseph Garcia.
The total testing done in the peninsula as of 8:30am on April 9 amounted to 1,511, including the random testing done which was now completed.
“In terms of tests per capita per million inhabitants Gibraltar is ranked fourth in the world, behind only the Faroe Islands, Iceland, and the United Arab Emirates,” said Garcia.
The confirmed cases have also risen to 123 in Gibraltar and active cases are now sitting at 63.
After quite a long delay, in-house testing is now available in the territory which will be testing 260 tests in 24 hours.
“We are very thankful to all those who have made it possible – more information on this will follow over the next few days,” he added.
Following on from the news that Gibraltar will have it’s own oxygen supply, a 3,000 litre temporary liquid oxygen tank will be installed at the Europa Point field hospital.
