Isha Sesay
THE Balearic Islands has banned the sale of alcohol in shops after 10pm in hope that it will discourage young people from attending late night parties.
The new rule, which will come into force from this Saturday (July 10), will prohibit alcohol being sold after this hour in supermarkets, shops and petrol stations.
Revealing the mesure at a press conference this morning, tourism minister Iago Negueruela said the increasing number of coronavirus cases were linked to ‘super-spreader’ parties and that in this moment, young people were the age group most affected.
“The increase in infections is occurring in very specific age groups, especially amongst young people, while the most vulnerable age group is already protected with the vaccine,” said Negueruela.
He continued that for this reason, ‘caution is required’ and ‘restrictions must be enforced on activities frequently carried out by young people’.
“At present, there are not a high number of coronavirus hospitalisations, but this does not mean we shouldn’t ask for responsibility, especially from younger people”, concluded the minister.
In a controversial case that reached international media coverage, more than 170 students had been forced to quarantine at a hotel in Mallorca after attending a reggaeton concert in the capital.
Police had confined the students, originally from the mainland, to the hotel after the Balearic government identified the event as a super-spreader event.
This in turn led to dozens of outbreaks across the country and left a Costa Blanca student fighting for his life in intensive care.
It comes as the Balearic government has allowed 16 to 29 year-olds in Mallorca to be vaccinated against COVID-19 in a bid to catch up with its neighbouring islands.
Eugenia Carandell, who is in charge of the vaccination programme, suggested that the earlier start in Mallorca was due to the high number of incidences in the age group.
READ MORE:
- Travelling to the Balearic Islands? Here are Spain’s Covid-19 rules you need to know about
- COVID-19 outbreak in Spain’s Mallorca: What we know so far about the student super spreader event
- ‘No more trips!’ Students asked to cancel summer holidays to Mallorca after nearly 400 kids test positive for COVID-19
