Spanish council imposes mínimum supermarket spend to make residents under coronavirus lockdown stay at home

A COUNCIL in Extremadura has established a mínimum spend of €30 in supermarkets and food shops throughout the period of the coronavirus state of alarm.

The Mayor of Herrera del Duque in Badajoz, Saturnino Alcazar, said the aim of the council proclamation was to ensure residents “avoid going shopping daily and comply with the obligation of staying at home for the maximum possible time.”

The proclamation states that the entrances and exits to food stores are being checked and that there will be sanctions for anyone who violates the €30 minimum.

The Mayor reminded the municipality’s 3,500 residents that the majority of food outlets and supermarkets in the locality offer a home delivery service. He also reminded them that the local authority is operating an assistance and home delivery service for the elderly, the disabled and vulnerable people on their own.

The council head explained the decision to introduce the minimum spend measure had been taken due to the “continued non-compliance by some residents” with the state of alarm regulations on confinement, and who had been “using shopping as a pretext to leave the house.”