WATCH: Bathers venture back onto beaches in some of Spain’s most popular holiday destinations as lockdown restrictions ease further in half the country

CREDIT: Ayuntamiento de Almería Twitter @aytoalm

SWIMMERS and sunbathers have been venturing back onto the beaches of some of Spain’s most popular holiday destinations as around half the country moved into Phase two of the easing of lockdown restrictions today Monday.

https://www.facebook.com/aytoalm/videos/726356031514152/

The second phase of the lockdown de-escalation means that after two and half months, and with temperatures reaching summer-like highs, beach-goers can once again take a dip or catch some rays in all the Canary and Balearic Islands, three provinces in Andalucia, Murcia and Tarragona.

Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria and the Basque Country on Spain’s Atlantic coast are also now in Phase two.

The beach experience is not quite the same as before the coronavirus crisis turned life upside down. Beach-goers are expected to practise social distancing, to be fastidious about personal hygiene measures, and to be extra careful about rubbish disposal in order to prevent any risk of Covid-19 infection.

Establishing measures like setting out allocated places, limiting maximum beach-goer numbers and specific time slots for the elderly and people in vulnerable groups is in the hands of the individual local authorities.

CREDIT: Ayuntamiento de Almería Twitter @aytoalm

All the beaches on the Costa Almeria are open today, although the mayor of Nijar made it clear that while she could not stop people from going into the sea or putting a towel down on the sand, she would rather they waited until a municipal beach management and safety plan is in place.

Along much of the provincial coastline beach-goers have in any case been relatively few and far between, possibly because it’s a working day. In Almeria City there has been a good number soaking up the sun on the municipal beaches however, as images posted by the council on social media show.

City mayor Ramon Fernandez-Pachecho made a point of urging people to behave responsibly and use their common sense, and to take note of the information on security measures and recommendations featured on boards at beach entrances.

He also pointed out that all facilities which could present a health risk, like showers, toilets and drinks machines, are currently out of bounds.

The Balearic Islands of Mallorca, Ibiza and Menorca have seen relatively few on their beaches today, although there the clouds could have kept them away.

But in Canary Island holiday hotspots Tenerife and Gran Canaria, plenty of people have clearly been keen to embrace the lockdown relaxation and enjoy their beaches once again.

Residents aching to get some sun and sand on the Costa del Sol, the Costa Tropical and the Costa Blanca meanwhile have to wait a little longer as Malaga and Granada provinces and the whole of the Valencian Community remain in lockdown Phase one for now.

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Written by

Cathy Elelman

Cathy Elelman is the local writer for the Costa de Almeria edition of the Euro Weekly News.

Based in Mojacar for the last 21 years, Cathy is very much part of the local community and is always well and truly up on all the latest news and events going on in this region of Spain.

Her top goals are to do the best job she can informing the local English-speaking community, visitors to the area and the wider world about about the news in Almeria, to learn something new every day, and to embrace very new challenge this fast-changing world brings her way.

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