France’s beachgoers enjoy the sun in individual roped off areas created to uphold Coronavirus social distancing measures

France’s beachgoers enjoy the sun in individual roped off areas created to uphold Coronavirus social distancing measures.

FRENCH sun-worshippers soaked up some rays in roped-off social distancing zones on beaches in France today in the latest sign of what the forthcoming summer tainted by coronavirus will look like.

Sunbathers were baking in 26ºC sunshine in La Grande Motte today where visitors can reserve a three-and-a-half-hour slot beside the seaside. The available 66 private spots were booked up within two hours when they first went on offer with people keen to return to the beach after a two-month lockdown.

Beachgoers are allowed to swim in the sea, but authorities have imposed a one-way system to stop people from crossing each other’s paths as much as possible. The beach spots for two, four or six people are marked out by tape and arranged so that people will come into contact as little as possible.

Sunbathers can keep their spot from either 9.30am to 12.30pm or 2pm to 5.30pm, with a 90-minute break in between the two sessions. The system has been introduced on an ‘experimental basis’ and will operate until at least June 2.

The website for bookings stated, ”We do not pretend to have found the perfect solution for beach lovers, but merely to test a model which allows you to put down your towel for sunbathing with maximum health protection.”

La Grande Motte is in one of the low-infection regions of France, a green zone where people have been allowed back to the beach since Monday. Local officials had earlier re-opened selected beaches in northern France and Mediterranean coasts on Saturday.