Twenty five soldiers and six army vehicles from a parachute regiment are in Calasparra to assist the local police and the Guardia Civil to impose the regulations under the State of Emergency.
As Pedro Sanchez, President of Spain, announces the extension of the State of Alarm for a further 14 days the former Mayor of Calasparra, and now Government Delegate, Jose Velez, has brought in the army to regulate the Stay at Home laws in Calasparra.
This morning the Mayoress, Teresa García, the Head of local Citizen Security, Antonio Merino, and the Chief of the Local Police, Miguel Angel Martinez, held a meeting with Capitan López Fernández of the Third Band Parachute Brigade to coordinate the presence of 25 soldiers and six vehicles based in Javalí Nuevo in Calasparra.
The soldiers will join the local police and the Guardia Civil to carry out controls and patrols to ensure residents comply with the regulations under the State of Alarm which confine them to their homes.
The current State of Alarm will be extended for 14 days, from April 12 to 25. President Sanchez must put the proposal to Congress next week but opposition parties have already agreed to support the measure.
The fortification of security forces in Calasparra come as the current confirmed cases in the town rise to 18 and more than 50 fines have been issued to residents leaving their homes without one of the stated permitted reasons.
These are to:
Travel to and from work if you are an essential worker under the law
Buy BASIC food supplies or medicines
Going to the bank
Attend a medical or hospital appointment
Walk your dog for its physical necessities ie. As shorter distance as possible.
Assist a vulnerable or elderly person in the community.
Returning to your place of residence.
Details of these permitted activities have been posted repeatedly on this webpage. Shopping outside Calaparra is not permitted. Readers are reminded this is Spain not the UK: there is no provision for taking daily exercise outside your home. Visiting friends or family is also prohibited. Not obeying the rules will result in fines starting at 300 euros.
As the number of cases in Calasparra continues to rise it is clear some residents are not obeying the regulations and the virus is spreading.
Please stay at home, stay safe and keep us all safe.
