Tourism minister and government spokesperson, Iago Negueruela, stressed on Monday that the street party "botellón" had been outlawed before the pandemic and regulations specific to the control of Covid.
Speaking at the post-cabinet meeting press conference, Negueruela said that town halls have bylaws against the botellón and that these address "security issues, not just those to do with public health".
Reflecting on incidents at the weekend, in Playa de Palma in particular, the minister reiterated a call for responsibility, adding that "we hope that compliance with measures on the islands is exemplary". Negueruela praised the work of town halls and police, emphasising that certain "practices" (e.g. the street parties) are not acceptable. He highlighted in particular "the significant effort being made by Palma town hall".
On a separate matter albeit related, the opening of nightlife, the minister described a meeting with nightlife sector representatives as "cordial". "We all understand the situation," he said, explaining that a framework for easing restrictions on "this important sector" will be set out in the coming days. "Restart steps are being taken, with pilot tests and, in some cases, ahead of schedule." In this regard, he drew attention to test events in Mallorca and Ibiza later this month.
* Palma police say that there were some 200 reports related to incidents in Playa de Palma over the weekend. The majority of these were either for illegal street parties or for not wearing masks. In addition, some reports were for breaches of bar and restaurant opening hours.
The police add that overnight on Sunday, things were "quite a bit quieter" than they had been on previous nights following the lifting of the curfew.
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What does "banned" actually amount to though. We've read and seen that the Police are woefully inept at controlling them, and if they're foreigners thair hands are tied in relation to any effective punishment. If the authorities cannot control public behaviour, then there is no law effectively, and this is how Spain has been for decades.
Good luck enforcing this recommendation. It's a violation of freedom of movement. Stay home Karen.