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Date Published: 07/05/2020
ARCHIVED - When can I sit on a beach again or go for a mud bath in san Pedro del Pinatar
With the weather warming up, thoughts turn to a dip in the sea or a free mud face-pack
On Monday 11th May we enter phase one of the Covid de-escalation plan and as the prospect of once again being able to sit in the car with other family members and go out for a beach-side lunch in the warm spring air becomes a genuine possibility, plans are already being formatted for the “when and where” practicalities.
But for those of us lucky enough to live in the Murcia Region the beaches are calling, and although we’re now allowed to exercise along the paseos and shorelines, what we really want is to feel that sand between our toes once again!
But when can we do that?????
At the moment the beaches are out of bounds for sun-bathing, building sand castles with the kids and sitting (although some councils are allowing us to walk along the seashore), and in some municipalities we’re not even able to sit on a bench when exercising as they’ve either been cordoned off or have signs warning against taking a few minutes’ rest in the sunshine due to the risk of Covid transmission!
Currently the national government is planning to allow beaches to open in phase 3 (the advanced phase) of the de-escalation plan, which is currently scheduled for June 8th, an agonizingly long way ahead for most of us, but the regional minister for health, Manuel Villegas, has given an indication today that there may be a possibility of opening the beaches for use earlier than this.
In an interview with the Onda Regional radio station he said today that his counterpart in the neighbouring region of Andalucia had made the same request for the beaches to be opened at the beginning of phase two on 25th May to the national Ministry of Health earlier this week when both himself and the heads of the other regional health services participated in a videoconference.
Murcia had also raised the topic of allowing children to exercise during a broader time-band given the high temperatures at the moment, a request which was being considered by the national health authority in a positive light, according to the minister.
Yesterday the national government gained the approval of parliament to extend the state of emergency until 24th May, but it was a hard fought battle and Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez was forced to agree to a wide range of requests from the different political parties in order to push through the extension. One of the main points which came out of the parliamentary debate was the determination of the 17 autonomous communities to have a greater say in the de-escalation process, allowing them to make more decisions at a regional level, depending on the needs of their own region.
Murcia has its own set of unique needs and circumstances, a typical example being the warmer weather on the Mediterranean coastline. This week Murcia has experienced temperature highs of 34 degrees Celsius, yet inland in Madrid night-time lows are still falling as low as 3 degrees, and Murcia continues to have the lowest case rates in all of Spain.
Today researchers from the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) published a report compiling information about the transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19, in relation to bathing and aquatic activities.
They warn that the large number of people in these spaces can be a focus of contagion, but point out that contagion in the aquatic environment "is very unlikely" and that the characteristics of beaches can reduce the risk of contagion.
One of the main points of concern for the authorities is whether the virus can be spread should Covid-positives sit on the beach this coming summer, about which the CSIC says, "although there are no experimental studies in this regard, the combined action of seawater salt, solar ultraviolet radiation and the high temperatures are favourable for the inactivation of pathogens. It is also emphasized that any form of disinfection of the beach sand must be respectful with the environment and its disinfection is not recommended with the usual procedures for urban public spaces, "they say (this is in response to the uproar caused when the beach of Zahara de los Atunes in Cadiz was disinfected with bleach).
In relation to water sports activities, they say, infection by contact with water from standard bathing conditions is "very unlikely, however, these activities generally involve a loss of the recommended measures of social distancing," they warn.
San Pedro del Pinatar preparing for de-escalation
For the coastal municipalities of the Murcia Region the summer tourist campaign is likely to be “complicated” as tourists will be very much aware of the need for protection from Covid-19 this year.
There are still many unresolved questions about whether Spain will be opening its borders to foreign tourists or not this year, but the authorities here in Murcia are already starting to show that they view the domestic market as their greatest potential source of revenue this summer.
Cartagena announced yesterday that it was launching a marketing campaign to “capture” domestic tourist from within Spain this year and this week San Pedro del Pinatar has set up a technical working group to analyse the practical steps which must be undertaken within the municipality this summer.
Even though the country expects to be out of lockdown and back to the “new normal” from June 22nd onwards, councils this year must consider a whole range of new controls and inspections in order to protect their summer visitors and residents.
Mayoress Visitación Martínez, chaired the video meeting of the various local concejalías which will have to co-ordinate the municipal plan, covering topics such as the mechanisms to control access to the famous mud baths in the municipality, the use and maintenance of public areas such as parks, paseos and adjoining zones, what will have to be done this year to manage the hygiene and cleanliness of changing areas, whether limits will have to be placed on the number of people on beaches or using the paseos, footwashes, toilets etc, how bars and restaurants will be inspected to ensure that they are complying with hygiene and distancing regulations etc.
At the moment there are so many unknowns about what will happen as de-escalation rolls out, so the working group can only analyse the potential scenarios which may have to be dealt with and plan for all the “what if’s”.
San Pedro del Pinatar has 13 kilómetros of coast to manage, with beaches on both the Mediterranean coastline as well as inside the ring of the Mar Menor.
At the moment the council is permitting walking and jogging along all of the coastal areas within its municipality, and nautical sports can only be undertaken from the special area prepared for this purpose alongside the playa de La Mota, by the windmill.
The Baños de Lodo, mud baths, remain closed ….for now.
Remember: LOCKDOWN MEANS LOCKDOWN. STAY AT HOME. STAY SAFE AND DO YOUR BIT TO REDUCE THE SPREAD OF CORONAVIRUS.
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