Playa del Carmen, Q. R. — The pilot program for the reopening of public beaches in Playa del Carmen began with success as hundreds arrived to enjoy a day of rays. Residents were able to hit local city beaches at Xcalacoco, Punta Esmeralda and Playa 88, which are Blue Flag certified.
In a press release, Mayor Laura Beristain Navarrete said that both locals and tourists respected the protocols to prevent COVID-19 infections.
She said the initiative by the government of Solidaridad was backed by hotels, businessmen, restaurants, tourism service providers and citizens themselves. She said that the beaches could remain open after the initial project deadline of August 30, depending on continued compliance.
Beristain Navarrete reminds residents that the beaches will be open from 9 in the morning to 4 in the afternoon. She adds that in Punta Esmeralda and Playa 88, the maximum capacity allowed will be 500 people, and at Playa Xcalacoco, only 150 people.
For the proper functioning of the beaches, visitors are encouraged to go alone or in groups of no more than four, arriving by either walking or bicycle. Car and motorcycle access is prohibited as are coolers with food and alcoholic beverages. The use of masks will be mandatory.
To enter, beachgoers will go through a sanitary filter for a temperature reading. A count of all visitors will be taken to ensure maximum capacity is not exceeded. Once situated at the beach, each person will have to maintain a distance of five meters between groups and two meters between one another.
The beach reopening program is set to run from August 20 to 30, however, it could run longer depending on citizen compliance.
