last week the European Union announced a plan to open European beaches to “give people the opportunity to obtain necessary rest, relaxation and fresh air.” Relaxation of restrictive measures imply recommendations to the authorities of the countries members of the EU’s open internal borders, the restoration of rail, road, air and sea links, as well as increased tourism, hotel and beach activities. The majority of European beach resorts has introduced strict rules of social distancing, and the situation with the number of tourists in them, in particular, will be monitored with the help of drones.
Paul hunter, Professor of health English the University of East Anglia, said in an interview with CNN that the risk of transmission of the virus in the open air is low, but its distribution will depend on how many people will visit beaches and how they will act when you get there. From now on the European beaches are obligatory face masks, disinfectant, and social distancing. In Greece, the staff sprays the deck chairs after each client has finished using them. In the beach town of Porto Cesareo in the Italian region of Apulia beach umbrellas located at a distance of 1.5 meters from each other, and the rope form a protective cordon between campers.
meanwhile, the authorities of several countries of the Old world have already begun to experience difficulties and trying to cope with the influx of tourists and locals to the beaches. How the citizens of the countries-EU members missed active rest, is the fact that the French began actively to fill hundreds of beaches after the weakening of the restrictive measures, with the majority breaking the rules of social distancing. So, the authorities of the North-Western Prefecture of the Morbihan in Brittany have been forced to close five beaches due to “unacceptable behavior” and non-citizens of measures of social distancing. The Dutch coastal province of Zeeland in the environment were forced to temporarily close roads in the city until June 1 due to projected expectations that measures social distancing can be broken arriving on the beaches by tourists. According to Reuters, Greece on the beach allowed the presence of no more than 40 people in an area of one thousand square meters. On the beaches in the suburbs of Athens, drones warn visitors if they violate the rules of social distancing. “We keep our distance, we respect the public health,” repeated Drona with remote control, trying to disperse a group of vacationers gathered on the beach, The Guardian reports.
Minister of tourism of Spain, Reyes Maroto in an interview with the newspaper El Pais said that the country “defines different scenarios” for beach lovers. “When we open the international tourism, you should have a guarantee that the person who comes to Spain is healthy and not sick with coronavirus,” said Maroto. Officials in the Spanish Mediterranean town of Canet den Berenguer, located to the North of Valencia, announced that will be allowed to take daily only five thousand tourists on his famous beach: this figure is approximately half the level that was recorded last year. Sanxenxo in the Galician beaches will become more common sweepers that will control the collection of garbage and any waste every few hours, and public toilets and showers are regularly disinfected. The authorities of some French regions, such as the Landes, in the French region of Aquitaine Nouvel, has pledged to open the beaches for a “dynamic individual physical activity”, which involves fitness training groups not more than 10 persons at a safe distance. Barcelona officials asked tourists to adhere strictly to the social distance of two meters when visiting the beaches, and in the UK the authorities of the coastal cities also asked citizens to keep them at a safe distance from each other. In Italy the Minister of tourism and culture Dario Franceschini announced the release of a package of economic assistance to the affected tourism industry of the country, including financial support for seasonal workers and tax breaks for firms working in the tourist industry.
According to experts at the European tourism Tony Johnston, the authorities of European countries need to prepare clear strategies for dealing with the influx of tourists and overcrowded beaches, which will inevitably happen with the beginning of the holiday season. According to him, the problem may occur in the near future, when many European countries set the good weather and the citizens of the countries-EU members, deprived of the opportunity to travel the world, go to the closest to their regions beaches, trying to fill them, as it was before the pandemic coronavirus. Johnston said in an interview with CNN that due to the fact that many regions, especially in Spain, Italy, France and Greece, economically dependent on tourism, officials should strive to promote safe tourism and should pursue a policy aimed at ensuring good hygiene in public areas such as restrooms and eateries. “In the world there are about 330 million people working in the tourism sector. Must be defined the difference between meeting the needs and desires of tourists, as well as the economic impact of tourism on the whole economic situation during p��of ndemi,” – said the expert.
Analysts also expressed concern that the guidelines for social distancing in European countries in recent weeks shows a tendency to decrease. So, in the course of the research experts at University College London revealed that less than 50 percent of Europeans under the age of 30 years to fully comply with the isolation mode. While the majority of the interviewed young citizens of member countries of the EU “increased boredom, frustration, depression, and anxiety.” Despite the fact that the mortality rate from coronavirus is diminishing daily in many European countries, experts warn that Old world in summer, in July and August, just because of the removal of restrictive measures, could deal with the second wave of the pandemic, if the Europeans will not act with caution and respect for the rule of exclusion, including social distancing, hand washing with soap and the wearing of masks and gloves in public. By the way, according to the source “RG” in one of the major Spanish television stations, the authorities of some countries of southern Europe can consider the extension of the isolation regime of work of employees in remote access before the end of summer.
