Magaluf closes party strip after drunken Britons seen flouting social distancing rules
A popular party strip on the island of Majorca has been closed after video footage appeared to show British tourists flouting social distancing guidelines.
Footage shared on Twitter shows a large group singing and chanting while climbing on cars on Punta Ballena in Magaluf.
No one in the footage appears to be wearing face masks and people are not keeping apart to stop the spread of coronavirus.
La vieja normalidad de Punta Ballena, Magaluf. Vídeo de: Michels. @UHmallorca pic.twitter.com/0gc8YXi5ha
— Guillermo Esteban (@GuillEsteban) July 11, 2020
Wearing face masks outdoors on the Balearic Isles has been made compulsory, with exemptions made only for those on the beach or playing sport.
The measure was put in place after the Balearics reported over 2,000 cases of COVID-19 and more than 200 deaths so far as a result of the pandemic.
Announcing the intention to close the party strip in Magaluf on Wednesday, Balearic Islands tourism minister Iago Negueruela told reporters: “All commercial establishments, bars and restaurants in these streets will have to close following the publication of an official government bulletin which will be today.
"They will have to close today.”
“We cannot tolerate the sort of images we have been seeing over the last few days and we are not going to tolerate it.
“Our tourist and economic activity depends on our image.
“We urge the general population and the tourists to obey rules on social distancing and the other measures put in place by the Balearic Islands government.”
Negueruela said that anyone not respecting the guidelines should “not come to our islands” and warned of further closures if similar incidents occurred.
Spain has the seventh highest number of coronavirus deaths in the world, with 28,409 deaths from the illness so far, according to Johns Hopkins.
Yahoo News UK has contacted the official tourist site for Majorca for a comment.
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