It’s a moment many people have been waiting for a long time in Valencia: the reopening of the beaches and the opportunity to go swimming. This will be possible from this Friday, May 8: this is what the mayor of Valencia announces, while specifying that it will still not be possible to swim in a “recreational” way and that the beaches will not reopen for everyone once the Region of Valencia has passed phase 3. Also, it will be necessary to respect the morning time slot between 6h and 10h as well as other rules mentioned below. Lisbob, the expatriate assistant in Spain, tells you all about the reopening of the beaches in Valencia.
Valencia will open its beaches this Friday, only for swimming and individual sport
Valencia City Council has announced that the city’s beaches will reopen as of Friday, May 8. Do not cry victory too quickly, access to the beaches will be strictly regulated: it will be necessary to go there only between 6h and 10h and only for doing individual sport or swimming in a non "recreational" way.
The beaches will therefore remain closed to the general public, and only 2 accesses will be possible to go swimming. You will need to access the points located at La Marina and La Malvarrosa.
In these accesses, there will be volunteers from the Municipal Sports Foundation (FDM) who will be there to inform people who wish to practice these sports practices in order to raise awareness of protective measures against coronavirus. "Outside of these hours, swimming will always be prohibited," said city councilor for sport Pilar Bernabé.
Both on these points and on the southern beaches, the sports adviser clarified that "swimmers and athletes can enter the sea individually from today from 06:00 to 10:00".
The mayor stressed that "both entering and leaving the sea must be done individually". Thus, "once in the water, a minimum safety distance must be maintained in relation to other swimmers". In order to be more easily visible it will be mandatory to wear a swimming cap which will facilitate the recognition of swimmers.
It will be prohibited to leave equipment in the sand on the beach and the use of public showers will not be authorized either.
Regarding the recommendations that concern water sports practitioners, Pilar Bernabé said that they had to "ensure that the take-off and landing of kites in the sand is done in a responsible manner". "The exchange of any type of material between people who practice one of the sports is prohibited and personal items should not be left on the beach," he added.
The sports advisor recommended that "keep in mind at all times that the reunion of athletes is not allowed, both in and out of the water". Finally, "the use of public showers and changing rooms is prohibited".
