   The health guidelines have been authorized by the Ministry of Health and will apply at all beaches. - A.M. Costa Rica illustrative photo - |
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 Published Friday, October 30, 2020 Surfers
must comply with health
guidelines to avoid covid-19 contagion By the A.M. Costa Rica staff The Costa Rica Surf Federation, which is made up of more than 400 members, has developed sanitary guidelines to avoid increasing the contagion of covid-19 among people who practice surfing. According to the federation, these guidelines have been authorized by the Ministry of Health and will apply at all beaches where this sport is practiced. Among the main preventive measures that surfers must comply with are: Before going surfing, check with the tour operators in the area that are affiliated with the federation if there are quotas and time restrictions for practicing this sport. Maintain a social distance of at least 1.8 meters between surfers. Go to the beach with your social bubble and avoid meetings with other people. Comply with personal hygiene measures such as constant hand washing and use of a facial mask in public areas. The equipment used for surfing must, like the board and accessories, be constantly disinfected. According to Randall Chαvez, president of the federation, a significant number of tourists choose the beaches of Costa Rica to train or receive surfing lessons. "In addition, our surfers serve the country as a lifeguard, protecting the safety of tourists who come to visit our beaches." The designated pandemic hours for beaches work the same as the ban-on-driving rule. For example, on weekdays from Monday through Friday, visiting beaches are allowed from 5 a.m. until 10 p.m. On weekends, Saturdays and Sundays, beaches are open from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. These rules apply nationwide.  Last month the Save The Waves Coalition announced Hermosa Beach, located in Garabito Canton, Puntarenas Province, has officially been approved as the next World Surfing Reserve, WSR. According to the organization, the decision made by the Vision Council, a governing body of surf and conservation experts appointed by Save The Waves, was made during the Global Wave Conference on February 14 in Gold Coast, Australia. The beach is the epicenter of surfing in Costa Rica. Every year they host surfers from around the world who seek out the renowned waves at the beach break, the coalition said in its statement. Hermosa Beach will join the growing network of World Surfing Reserves across the globe including: Malibu and Santa Cruz in California, U.S. Ericeira in Portugal. Manly Beach in Australia. Huanchaco in Peru. Bahia Todos Santos in Baja California, Mexico. Punta de Lobos in Chile. Gold Coast in Australia. Guarda do Embaϊ in Brazil. Noosa Heads, Australia. The place is moving forward with the development of its stewardship plan and will be formally dedicated as a World Surfing Reserve in 2021. Due to the impacts of covid-19, Save The Waves is delaying the application process in 2020 for the next World Surfing Reserve nomination and will make a call for submissions in 2021. According to the Tourism Institute, 17% of tourists who visited the country by air between 2017 and 2019 practiced surfing as part of the activities carried out during their stay. Surfers on average stay 17 days and spend $122 per day. -------------------- Should authorities continue regulating beach hours? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com |
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