Simon Wade
GOING to the beach amid confusing COVID-19 restrictions may soon be made much easier thanks to an app being developed by the Costa Blanca authorities.
Mayors of coastal municipalities in the region aim to reactivate tourism by ensuring beaches are safe before they are re-opened fully to the public.
The app, still in development, will advise sun worshippers of how full their chosen beach is, well before they set off, in order to avoid crowds and reduce the risk of COVID-19 contagion.
“The intention is that it can be a useful tool for citizens to find out the state of occupation of the beaches when deciding which one to go to,”explained Ximo Puig, President of the Valencian Government.
“The objective is to achieve safe beaches for citizens.”
Some local mayors and regional authorities have accused the Central Government of acting too slowly when it comes to granting access to the beaches, seen as essential to the rejuvenation of tourism in the region.
Puig added: “70% of the coast is made up of beaches and coves, some of them never visited, so the initiative will [also] help to make them known to beachgoers, it is a great opportunity to show these extraordinary beaches.”
Valencia as a whole entered Phase 1 of the coronavirus de-escalation plan on Monday this week.
It came after the region was initially split in half, with areas like Denia and parts of Alicante allowed to enter Phase 1 on May 12.
The region will likely be divided again when just a select few health districts and provinces will be permitted to enter Phase 2 next week.
