Maritime Police will apparently be fining beachgoers not wearing masks as they enter beaches this year, walk on boardwalks, access restaurants or WCs.
According to Jornal de Notícias fines will also apply to anyone ‘playing (sport/ football) on the sand’.
The fines will vary, says the paper, from €50 to €100.
This is a decision that came in a draft law approved by the Council of Ministers last week. Why no one has reported it sooner is not explained.
The objective is to “regulate access to beaches during the bathing season, which in some locations starts on Saturday”.
Beach concessionaires (people employed selling space on sun-loungers, as well as salespeople carrying soft drinks, doughnuts across the sands, etc.) will also have to wear masks at all times.
Says JN, beachside businesses will also face ‘heavy fines’ if they don’t comply with ‘rules of sanitising and cleaning their spaces and equipment, or they don’t fix in a visible place rules for beach users. Fines various between €500 and €1,000”.
These rules are new, stresses the paper. Last year authorities were more intent on making people aware of official guidance than handing out fines.
