the 2021 season
twelve o’clock, April 18, 2021 – 12:23 pm
From Gargano to Salento, equipped beaches for opening in May. On 29 April, a meeting in the Region to define the guidelines
of Antonio Della Rocca
Beaches open in less than a month, barring unforeseen events. There are no lifeguards, but apart from this, the army of 25,000 employees of the 2500 Apulian bathing establishments is ready to take the field starting from May 15, date proposed by the Minister of Tourism, Massimo Garavaglia, for the restart of a sector that has major maneuvers have already begun in view of next summer. “We are struggling with preparations in view of May 15, also because reservations are flooding, but we are also short of lifeguards,” warns Giuseppe Mancarella, of the Cna Balneatori in Puglia. “We can’t find rescue workers because, due to Covid, the courses for the issuance of patents have not been held – specifies Mancarella – but otherwise, the entire sector is busy with equipment maintenance and will be ready to go. We also had problems recruiting staff last year, but they were more generalized. Many workers with experience gained in the field received citizenship income and more than a few of them said they were willing to work illegally. Obviously, the request was rejected ».
Optimism
There is Covid, it is true, with infections still from the red zone, but there is also a moderate optimism in the future, in the belief that we can at least replicate the trend of the summer of 2020, marked by a strong decrease in the epidemiological curve and the consequent return to an almost normal life. The bathers start from this assumption, crossing their fingers and without saying it too loudly, out of luck. «There is a great desire to return to normalcy – insists Giuseppe Mancarella – and we see it from the numerous bookings that arrive. We are already full and we cannot accept any more, unfortunately we have to refuse customers ».
On May 15th we leave
There is expectation for the formalization of May 15 as a proposed date for the reopening of the shores, but in a few days, perhaps also next week, the green light should arrive. This, at least, is what bathers hope for. “Puglia also starts again, in the awareness that international scientific studies say that in the summer the contagion drops drastically” says the national president of the Italian seaside syndicate (Sib) – Confcommercio, Antonio Capacchione. And he adds: «Ours is a cautious optimism, but based on objective data that give us hope. In recent days I have seen the ministers Garavaglia and Giorgetti and have been authorized to disclose the hypothesis of May 15 as a date to be proposed to Minister Speranza for the reopening of the beaches. There is no official status, but we believe it. It is important to be able to open for, in particular for the Gargano and Salento which are our flagships, as in mid-May there is Pentecost which for the Germans coincides with the holidays. Now we are waiting for confirmation of the reopening on May 15th which should arrive next week ». According to estimates by the Sib, the Apulian seaside sector produces about 250 million euros per season and is therefore “a driving force, with its approximately 25 thousand workers and its 2500 companies, for the entire tourism sector”.
The meeting on April 29th
Ready to start again, therefore, probably with the same rules and protocols as last year: distancing between umbrellas, use of masks in places of potential aggregation, quoting flows. Furthermore, on 29 April, with the 2021 bathing ordinance on the agenda, the experts were summoned by the regional councilor for the State Property, Raffaele Piemontese. «We will probably apply the same rules as last summer – announces Antonio Capacchione – regarding the spacing, the use of the mask, the regulation of the flows towards the play areas for children. On April 29th we will meet the Piedmontese councilor for the bathing ordinance. Therefore, we are sure to be able to reopen with the papers in order and with the necessary guarantees for the safety of customers. There is a strong desire to return to sociability and we want to give a very clear signal, with cautious optimism. After all, President Draghi also expressed himself in these terms. Viral diffusion does not occur in the open air – concludes Antonio Capacchione – if not in insignificant percentages. Ventilated areas are safe. The beaches are all the more so ».
April 18, 2021 | 12:23
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