Barcelona Bans Sunbathing As Beaches Reach Saturation

Barcelona city council has forbidden sunbathing and swimming at the beach as the city continues its strict lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic.

According to local media, the city council of the city of Barcelona in the autonomous community of Catalonia in north-eastern Spain only allows people who live inside one kilometre (0.6 miles) from the beach to go there for a walk.

Reports said the Security and Prevention city councillor Albert Batlle had previously told local media that sunbathing was allowed if social distancing was respected.

However, the city council have now told local media that from today (WED) sunbathing and swimming at the beach is forbidden and neighbours are only allowed to go for a walk for one hour a day if they live inside one kilometre from the beach.

The vice-president of the neighbours association ‘Associacio de Veins Barceloneta’ Manuel Martinez told local media: “People are not responsible. They do not respect the security distance and they do not take the precautions. There are people who wear their sports clothes and run for ten minutes to pretend they are doing sports.”

He added: “The Mossos D’Esquadra agents and the city guard told me they are unable to control and fine everybody.”

The city council has reportedly ordered that adults up to the age of 70 will be allowed to go for a walk between 6 am and 10 am while citizens older than 70 are allowed between 10 and 12 in the morning and 7 pm and 8 pm.

Reports say adults with only one child are allowed to go to the beach between 12 pm and 7 pm.

Athletes are allowed to use the beach even if they live further than one kilometre (0.6 miles) from the beach between 6 and 10 am and 8 and 11 pm.

The city council said the measures might change if the Spanish government allows Barcelona to go to phase 1 and ease its lockdown restrictions.