Holidaymakers ordered to wear face masks on Costa del Sol beaches
Tourists on the Costa del Sol must wear face masks while on the beach and at swimming pools, with heavy fines for anyone who fails to comply.
The strict new rules came into effect at midnight last night, and were part of a wider tightening of restrictions across several regions in Spain in response to isolated spikes of coronavirus infections.
Andalucia, home to the popular resorts of the Costa del Sol, has enacted some of the strictest laws in the country, requiring everyone, including beachgoers, to cover their mouths and noses at all times while in public, and with harsh €100 (£91) penalties for anyone caught flouting the rules.
However, sunbathers and swimmers will be allowed to remove their masks, provided they stay within their own household or ‘bubble’ or maintain a 1.5 metre social distancing gap with other members of the public.
Children under the age of six are also exempt from wearing them.
Similar rules apply at public or hotel swimming pools, where you are allowed to remove your mask while swimming or sitting down at a safe distance from those outside your bubble, but must put one on again to move around the pool’s edge.
“When we talk about masks, we are referring mostly to walks on the beach or meeting friends who you do not normally see,” said the Andalucian Health Minister, Jesus Aguirre. “Everyone should know and be responsible for who they consider to be family.”
The Andalucian regional government has now ordered that face masks are to be worn at all times in public areas, with only a few exceptions for situations where it is impossible to do so, such as when playing sports.
It follows a recent rise in Covid-19 cases in Málaga, the second largest city in Andalucia, which has seen more than 100 people test positive for the virus in the last few weeks.
Other cities throughout Spain have seen similar outbreaks in recent weeks, with rising infections reported in the Catalonian city of Lleida, Huesca in Aragon, and Lugo in Galicia.
Face masks have now been made compulsory across all three regions, as well as the Balearic Islands, the Basque Country, Navarra, La Rioja, Cantabria, Asturias, Extremadura and Murcia.
Restrictions vary from place to place, however, and some destinations, such as Majorca, have not made masks compulsory for beachgoers.
