Residents in Calle La Unión in Mijas and Fuengirola have been unable to cross their own street since Tuesday, at least according to the new restrictions brought in by the Junta de Andalucía which involve prohibiting movement between municipalities to help curb the spread of Covid-19. One side of the street is in Fuengirola and the other in Las Lagunas, which belongs to the municipality of Mijas.

On Monday both Mijas and Fuengirola town halls called for the regional government to consider Fuengirola and Las Lagunas as one urban centre.

However on Thursday, the regional government rejected the idea to merge the two areas for the Covid-19 rules. Mayor of Mijas, Josele González, commented that situations are arising “that cause a lot of confusion” especially with older people.

He said that he would order his officers to be relatively lax in applying the rules in the dense streets of housing, adding that “we understand that where controls really have to be done is off the motorway and on [main] access roads”.

“It’s not just a question of convenience for the local people - many of whom are elderly and used to shopping in the neighbouring municipality - but also for local commerce in both towns, as these are highly populated areas in which small and medium-sized businesses are more important than ever,” González had explained earlier in the week.

Fuengirola town hall said that it had supported the initiative, proposing that the people of Fuengirola be permitted to cross into Las Lagunas, but not the other areas of Mijas, such as Mijas Pueblo, La Cala and the numerous residential developments, “so as not to disturb the spirit of the regional authority’s preventative regulation and to safeguard the health of both populations”, it had said in a press statement.

While the problem is not as obvious as that of Mijas-Fuengirola, there are also similar situations on the boundary between Fuengirola and Benalmádena.