This weekend, vehicle access to the Poniente quay road, in the Port of Mahon, will be restricted to residents living in the area. This will increase the amount of space available for pedestrians and will prevent crowds from forming, thus reducing the risk of Covid-19 contagion. This measure, proposed by the Mahon City Council, will initially be implemented between Friday 8th and Sunday 10th May.

Road access between the Costa de Rochina and the Costa de Corea will be restricted on Friday from 8pm to 11pm, and on Saturday and Sunday from 6am to 10am and from 8pm to 11pm.

During phase 0 of the de-escalation period, there have been large numbers of people walking around the port during the leisure time slots allocated to the over-14 age groups. In this regard, the Mahon City Council, in coordination with the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB), has decided to extend the amount of space available to pedestrians as well as to restrict vehicle traffic in this area and in other areas that come under municipal jurisdiction.

Institutional coordination

The APB coincides with the Mahon City Council on this issue and is aware that the appeal of the port means that a considerable number of people gravitate to the area to do sport or go for a walk, especially at weekends. This fact, combined with the usual vehicle traffic on this stretch, leads to a build-up of people on the waterfront that is not recommended at present.

In this sense, the City Council maintains the recommendations of the last municipal ruling regarding the movement of people in public areas. This states that people should all move along the right-hand side of the road, in the same direction as the road traffic, to prevent unnecessary contact with oncoming pedestrians.

The APB joins the City Council in thanking the local residents for their cooperation and calls for them to be responsible when it comes to going outside. It also concurs with the Council in that if progress is to be made, it is essential to continue with the social discipline that the vast majority of the people of Mahon have shown over the last few weeks.