Crowded Ibiza Beach & No Distancing Sunset Party
Hundreds of people gathered on an Ibiza beach ignoring social distancing for a sunset party led by live drums.
The party was recorded at the Benirras beach in the municipality of Sant Joan on the tourist island of Ibiza in the Spanish Balearic Islands on Sunday during the party which reportedly lasted several hours.
In the video, around 200 people, according to reports, can be seen gathered at the beach with many in a tight huddle around a traditional band of drummers playing on the sand.
Beachgoers can be seen dancing in front of the band as children grab each other as they play.
Local media report the Spanish Civil Guard were called to the scene and they then shut off access to the beach to prevent more people joining the party.
The officers did not evacuate the beach for fear of causing confrontations or incidents with the people gathered there, according to local media.
Witnesses said the drummers stopped playing when access to the beach was closed off but the partygoers reportedly remained and the Civil Guard stayed in the area until everyone had gone home.
The drum-led party at Benirras is well-known on the island and takes place on Sunday afternoons and evenings during the summer season.
The party went ahead despite the warnings of local authorities who said that the single road with access to the beach had been blocked off because of the large number of vehicles parked there.
The Spanish Civil Guard and local police of Sant Joan will now reportedly control access to the beach on Sundays in order to avoid similar situations, blocking access to the beach from 3:30 to 9 pm.
The Mayor of Sant Joan, Antoni Mari Carraca, said that the council has been fighting against the issues raised by the parties at the Benirras beach for several years.
Ibiza is currently in phase 2 of the Spanish government’s de-escalation plan which allows people to meet for social gatherings in groups of up to 15 and restaurants and bars can re-open their interior dining areas with limited capacity.
According to the latest figures from the Johns Hopkins University, Spain has registered 239,638 cases of COVID-19 and 27,127 related deaths