Depending on wether you support the government or are in the opposition, the take on this whole 4-step "desconfinamiento" (de-escalation of the lockdown) process has been something between "they're making it up as they go" to "they set out their instructions, then listen to the criticism, and amend it where they think the criticism made sense".
Some of that shifting among the restrictions has been lifted by the national government, but others by regional or local governments. And the changes that have caught the most attention in Alicante are those related to use of the coastline. Namely the beaches. Which makes sense considering we're a beach city and all!
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| Playa de la Albufereta (our small beach) |
First sports-related instructions when the desconfinamiento started (Fase 0), were that the practice of sports could only take place from 6-10 am and 8-11pm (that hasn't changed), within your own city limits (no change there), and limited to land. Then a few days later they said "ok for water sports, but only for serious athletes" (translation: you can go swimming "for real", no just going in to cool down and back out, and with the proper gear; plus the surfers). I'm not a "serious" enough swimmer to be included in that (plus water's still too cold for my taste!), but it has been nice seeing surfers (the recent storms have brought a little wave action to our corner of the Med) and swimmers clearly enjoying themselves when I've been out for a walk.
The added limitation in Alicante was that we weren't allowed to walk on the beach! For some reason no one quite understands, when we started Fase 0 the mayor said the sand was off-limits (maybe to avoid loitering or sunbathing or playing on the beach?). The result was that the promenades adjacent to our major beaches were so crowded it was very hard to maintain the recommended distances between people! In the San Juan beach on my side of town, it was even weirder when you considered that the neighboring town of Campello did allow for sand access, so you would have their section of the beach with people walking, and then the Alicante side nada. Fortunately a week ago the mayor switched that rule and now we can spread out more. Now if only I could go for a walk on the beach while the sun is shining, that would be nice!
#stayhome, #quedateencasa, #restecheztoi
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Hey there! Yes you! The quiet one in the back... I'd love it if you hung out for a bit and shared your thoughts!
I might stop by your place with an answer, but I'm more likely to reply right here so click on "email follow up comments" if you'd like to see what I and others have to say and come continue the conversation! ;o)