Brits greeted by 37C heatwave in Spain as beaches reopen just in time for first holidays since coronavirus
BRITS arriving back in Spain after the coronavirus lockdown have been welcomed by 37C heat.
Yesterday saw the country reopen its borders to tourists, with new arrivals no longer facing a 14-day quarantine.
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Sunbathing Brits are being warned to take extra care, with hot air moving north from Africa set to push temperatures in parts as high as 40C throughout the week.
Pictures showed the first enthusiastic tourists returning to the country for their summer holidays.
But despite the easing of restrictions, life in the country remains very different to the way it was before the lockdown.
Rules will vary between different regions because the autonomous government of each has been given the freedom to set restrictions for itself.
In Valencia, which contains holiday hotspot Benidorm and Alicante, most the activity of most businesses will remain capped at 75 percent.
Tables in bars must be socially distanced, and open-air shows will be limited to audiences of 800.
Benidorm has set up a system requiring sunbathers to reserve a spot on the beach online ahead of time.
On the Balearic Islands, which include Mallorca and Menorca, nightclubs remain closed and strict social distancing rules must be followed on beaches.
Across the country, the wearing of face masks is now obligatory in closed spaces or in public areas where a two-metre distance cannot be maintained.
The Spanish government has issued advice reassuring anxious tourists that they can travel safely and their holiday won't be "radically" affected by restrictions, though the UK foreign office continues to warn against all non-essential travel abroad.
Ben Seager, 38, from London, was among the first Brits to touch down after restrictions were lifted and enjoyed an emotional reunion with expat mum Sue.
“The beach is right next door to where my mum lives and I’ll be working on my tan while I’m here," he said.
“I had a flight booked for the start of July but a seat on this flight became available at the last minute and I went for it.
“The flight was packed and apart from the face masks we had to wear and the fact you had to request a trip to the toilet… it was all pretty normal.
“We got put in a sort of cattle grid-area when we got off the plane so they could take our temperatures.
"The passport control queue was longer than I’ve ever seen it because people were spaced out with social distancing, but they were the only real changes."
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