British expats and tourists able to return to Costa del Sol beaches this summer will be urged to abide by time limits.
Regional government officials are recommending maximum four-hour stays in the morning or afternoon on the main holiday beaches to avoid them becoming too crowded.
They are also encouraging sunbathers to shower before they leave their home or hotel and again once they reach the beach.
And parents of young children are being warned not to let their youngsters leave toys like buckets and spades lying around so they can be picked up by others.
The recommendations are included in a state bulletin published yesterday by the regional Junta de Andalucia government.
Its vice-president Juan Marin admitted today in a Spanish TV interview after the recommendations were made public: “I think we’ll have to get used to going to beaches in a different way to that we've been enjoying up to now.”
Many of the region’s beaches are expected to be fully re-opened next Monday, although the Costa del Sol went onto phase one of a four-stage coronavirus recovery programme a week later than other provinces and could have to wait.
Ensuring social distancing rules are respected will be left to individual town halls.
Sensors are being installed at the beach in the popular holiday resort of Fuengirola which has boasted of being the first to opt for an artificial intelligence system to keep numbers down.
Scanners fitted to lamp posts will monitor how many people are on the beach and inform tourists via a smartphone app which areas are busiest.
People entering Spain are currently being obliged to self-isolate for a fortnight, although the quarantine measure will be removed once the country’s state of alarm is lifted which will probably occur at the end of June.
