Images of drunk foreign tourists shouting in the streets and police raiding illegal parties in Madrid at a time when locals are not allowed to travel between regions have left many Spaniards up in arms.
Spanish TV on Monday aired a video of police officers smashing the windows of an apartment over the weekend to dislodge occupants holding a party that breached COVID-19 restrictions.
That several of the partygoers were reportedly foreigners fueled resentment over the seemingly haphazard nature of travel restrictions in Europe during the pandemic, with many Spaniards taking to social media to vent their anger.
Photo: AP
While Spaniards are not allowed to leave their own regions until Friday next week to avoid a resurgence of infections over Easter, similar restrictions do not apply to international tourists, who can still fly to Spain on presentation of a negative COVID-19 test.
With its 11pm curfew, and bars and restaurants open, Madrid has drawn scores of visitors from nations under tighter lockdowns.
Searches for flights to Madrid from neighboring France this month are up 142 percent year-on-year, at a time when flight searches overall are sharply down, according to online travel company Kayak.
“These images worry me,” Spanish Minister of Health Carolina Darias told reporters on Monday when asked about pictures of revelers in Madrid. “The image of our country is that of responsible people who respect the rules.”
With Madrid in the middle of a crucial election campaign ahead of regional polls on May 4, the laissez-faire attitude of the authorities, who have insisted on minimizing restrictions, has drawn sharp criticism.
However, Community of Madrid President Isabel Diaz Ayuso said it was up to the central government to tighten entry rules.
“We cannot spread the idea that in Madrid there exists ‘alcohol tourism,’” she said in an interview with TV station La Sexta.
Madrid has been the only major European capital to maintain social life practically unrestricted since a nationwide lockdown was fully lifted in June last year.
While the policy has been applauded by the hospitality sector, it is seen as one of the reasons why Madrid has consistently had one of Spain’s highest incidences of COVID-19.
Madrid municipal police said they broke up 353 illegal parties over the weekend, down slightly from 384 in the previous weekend.
In many cases, the raids were sparked by complaints of noise from neighbors of Airbnb rental flats where the parties were held.
“We need citizen cooperation now more than ever,” Madrid Councilor Jose Manuel Franco said on Monday.
He urged people to keep reporting the illegal parties to the authorities.
Amid the furor over the lack of travel restrictions for foreign tourists, Spain on Saturday announced that anyone crossing the land border into the nation would have to present a negative COVID-19 test, as had already been the case for those arriving by air.
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