ARCHIVED - Murcia police clarify that Tyrannosaurus rex costumes are not a valid excuse for leaving the house



Dinosaur impersonators can be fined in the same way as dog walkers who fail to obey government instructions

There appears to be some doubt among members of the public over what circumstances constitute valid reasons to leave the house during the confinement period which is in place as one of the coronavirus emergency measures in Spain, and the Policía Local in the city of Murcia wishes to make it clear that dressing up as a Tyrannosaurus rex is not one of them.

The restrictions applied to walking dogs have been made abundantly clear, although many appear to be determined to flout them, but at no point have either the national government, the Guardia Civil, the Military Emergencies unit or any of Spain’s law enforcement bodies mentioned the wearing of a dinosaur costume as being sufficiently important to warrant disobeying the restrictions on venturing out into the streets.

Unfortunately, the resident of Murcia featured in the videos shown below appears to have been labouring under a misapprehension regarding this legal technicality, although he was in a sense fortunate that an officer was close at hand to explain the situation regarding his unusual attire in full.

For a species thought to have been wiped out around 65 million years ago when an asteroid collided with the Earth, such irresponsible behaviour appears to indicate that its apparent reincarnation in Murcia could well be short-lived.

On the other hand, at least when the asteroid arrived there was no rush on toilet paper in the shops…

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What to do if you are in the Region of Murcia and believe you may have contracted the virus

The regional government has set up a special helpline to supply information to members of the public (900 121212), and also urges people to call the 112 emergency services line if they suspect that they may have contracted the virus rather than going straight to hospital or to a medical centre. Medical staff will be sent to your home to test for the virus.

The Region’s public hospitals have limited the number of visitors to just one per patient.

Sensible precautions

The advice being issued to members of the public by medical authorities all over the world coincides on the following points:

- Wash hands frequently with either soap and water or a sanitiser gel

- Catch coughs and sneezes with disposable tissues – and throw the tissues away immediately after use before immediately washing your hands!

- If you don’t have a tissue, use your sleeve – and wash the item of clothing used at the next opportunity

- AVOID touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands

- AVOID close contact with people who are unwell

- Don´t panic!