Bar owner arrested for refusing to enforce Covid restrictions

As Gran Canaria moves into Level 4 restrictions today, the police and the authorities are clamping down on the requirement for businesses to enforce Covid regulations for their clients. For this reason, the owner of the Zanzíbar pub, located in the Meloneras Shopping Centre in Maspalomas in the south of Gran Canaria, was arrested on Saturday night because there was no social distancing, dancing, excessive music, and no one (including the staff) were wearing masks.

According to Canarias Ahora, the owner of the bar refused to turn off the music on the terrace, despite the request of the Local Police officers, because he said that the restrictions were being maintained.

However, sources from the San Bartolomé de Tirajana City Council said, "He was arrested for refusing to switch off the music when asked to do so, and confronting the Local Police officers when they told him to, since Zanzibar does not have a permit as a music venue," they have told the aforementioned newspaper.

Also, according to the police report, the venue was not complying with capacity restrictions as it was overcrowded, and many of the attendees were dancing (which is not allowed) nor were they wearing a mask.

The altercation coincides with the week in which the Canary Islands Government announced that the island is rising to alert level 4 for coronavirus, due to the worrying increase in the number of new Covid-19 cases registered in recent weeks.