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article_detail
Date Published: 20/05/2020
ARCHIVED - Swimming pools are allowed to open and sea bathing begin in phase 2. In theory that is.
Those who must open the installations and oversee beach bathing can´t see any way in which this is feasible given the limitations imposed by the order
The Murcia region hopes to move into phase 2 of the de-escalation plan next week, bringing greater liberty and freedom of movement, just in time for the weather to warm up and the prospect of a dip in the pool to become a reality.
In theory.
The BOE published amended conditions for the transition into phase 2 on Saturday 16th May (click for link to original text) and specifically included text relating to both swimming pools and bathing in the sea amongst the information relating to the increased sporting activities which would be available to those areas moving into phase 2, but although in theory this means that swimming pools can now open, the realities of doing so and complying with the restrictions laid down, are causing considerable concern amongst those who will have to actually open and run the pools.
For example, pools may only open to 30% of their potential capacity and prior reservations must be made for “a slot” at the pool. Two metre distancing must be observed, and those running the pools must oversee the necessary measures to ensure that both the facilities and the water in the pools “are free of pathogenic microorganisms and substances that can negatively affect the health of the user.”
Naturally, this has provoked consternation amongst, for example, those who run communal pools in privately owned blocks of apartments, or on golf resorts and cannot see how they can possibly comply with these restrictions.
The Consejo General de Administradores de Fincas en España has also pointed out that although in theory those running the facilities could theoretically hold a public meeting of the property owners to gain a consensus amongst the members of each local community of owners as to how the pool could open and comply with the health and safety measures, gatherings of this nature are not permitted under the terms of the state of emergency!
The practicalities of controlling the areas around the pools and ensuring they are disinfected after use by each person, controlling and limiting the entry to the pool areas and running a booking system all require organisation and co-ordination, something the Consejo feels will be impossible for most of its members to achieve.
Town halls are also expressing their concerns about how they can comply with these regulations; Murcia city council said today that it viewed the measures as “very complicated” and would wait until phase 3 before attempting to open any of its open-air pools, regardless of the date.
Normally the municipal sports installations in most of the inland municipalities offer open-air swimming pools during the summer months. Most of these open at the end of June when schools break up, so it is hoped that by the time they normally open the country will have left the de-escalation process and entered whatever becomes the “new normal” as the practicalities of operating the pool at only 30% of their capacity and enforcing the measures required by the Ministry of Health are being viewed as impossible in Murcia city, a view probably shared by other local councils.
Murcia city has also said that it will not be opening its indoor pools until September and has refunded money to anyone who had booked and paid for the water sports programmes and courses normally run in the municipal indoor pools.
Beach bathing is equally complicated
The issue of how to oversee beach bathing is proving equally controversial as beaches themselves are not due to open until phase 3, and local councils are confused about how they can be expected to permit sea bathing from their beaches without implementing full lifeguard cover and measures to ensure social distancing and hygiene is observed.
The regional government is saying that it does not have the finances available to help the coastal town halls to contract lifeguards and install advisory posters and during a videoconference between the regional government and the mayors/esses of the coastal municipalities yesterday this topic was raised by the local councils requesting financial and practical assistance from the regional government.
The national tourism board is preparing a series of guidelines to assist them which will be published later this week and a further discussion has been scheduled for later in the week to discuss the topic further, but at the moment leaders of the local councils are reportedly “not prepared” to open their beaches. Nowhere are lifeguard services ready to begin and most beaches lack the normal facilities which are generally installed ready for the summer season. How they will comply with the hygiene requirements, enforce social distancing and then clean their beaches after use is still unclear and of course, all are pleading poverty and the lack of resources to be able to offer this level of service to potential bathers.
Screening or taping off 200km of coastline is being viewed as out of the question and other than providing megaphones to volunteers on bicycles to pedal along their paseos, few see any economical way of covering their extensive coastlines with the level of security required.
And of course, how to explain to bathers that they are allowed to bathe in the sea, and walk along the beach, but still can´t sit on the sand as the phase 2 order referring to sea bathing relates exclusively to sporting exercise and is another thing altogether!
The whole subject is so complicated; today the national papers were full of images showing bathers in Barcelona, which is in "phase 0.5" as the numbers of cases are too high to allow it to pass into phase one but has still decided to open its beaches for walkers, packed with people sunbathing, talking in groups and not observing social distancing!!!
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