The Born area and the MACBA are evicted in an operation against 'botellones'

Action against the botellones (street parties) that were taking place in the Paseo del Born and MACBA square in Barcelona. A joint operation of the Mossos d'Esquadra and the Guardia Urbana has cleared the area last night, where there were groups of people who did not respect the sanitary measures and were drinking in groups, as reported by Efe.

In recent weeks it is becoming a custom for people to congregate in the central promenade of the Born neighborhood, in front of bars that cannot accommodate customers in the afternoon and early evening, but serve food and drink to go. There, people share food and drink in groups that do not keep the safety distances to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, breaking the rules in the street that precisely the catering and hospitality industry has to comply with. Also in the MACBA area it is common to see groups of people congregated with drinks in their hands, many without masks, and on some occasions with loud music.

According to Efe, most of these people are young, and some foreigners. In the case of the Born, yesterday they chose to disperse through the streets adjacent to the Born when the police presence arrived. The area has been left littered with drink cans and rubbish.

Parties and gatherings against health regulations have been a problem for the police since the arrival of the pandemic. One of the most controversial was the rave in Llinars, which began on New Year's Eve in an abandoned warehouse and was not cleared until forty hours later. Several people were arrested for organising the illegal party, accused of disobedience. They were also issued with an administrative report for breaching the health law.