The Restrictions in Benidorm October 2020

As you might’ve seen on my Facebook page, Diary of a Spanglish Girl , the current restrictions in Benidorm have been extended for a further 21 days to help combat the spread of COVID-19. The 3 week restriction will end on 19th October, but it’s very likely it will be extended again.

This means, the current restrictions will continue for the majority of October so if you have a holiday booked for Benidorm in October 2020, it’s worth familiarising yourself with these restrictions to avoid unexpected surprises, issues or fines.

The Beach

The beach restrictions will remain in place which means if you do wish to sunbathe on the beach you will need to either rent a sunbed, or set yourselves up in one of the plots on the beach.

The new beach hours for autumn 2020 are from 9am until 8:30pm. The time for walking on the beach will continue to be from 7am until 8:45 am.

You must only access the beach and coves by the designated entrances and users must wear footwear when accessing the beach. You are still permitted to walk along the shoreline but you must keep a 1.5metre social distance. You will not be required to wear your masks in your plot or in the sea.

It is not permitted to smoke, vape or consume alcohol on the beach.

Sports, such as volleyball and football, is only authorised in the designated zones, therefore you cannot take paddles and balls etc and play where it’s not permitted.

You can meet at the beach with people you don’t live with, but you should keep a 1.5 metre social distance. Bins have been removed from the beach to avoid risks so all rubbish must be taken home or deposited in a bin on the street.

Bars and Restaurants

Bars and restaurants must close at 1am and are not allowed to let new clients in after midnight. The tables must be spaced 1.5 metres apart. Smoking and vaping on terraces is not permitted. You can pay in cash, Apple Pay, contactless or card.

Clients must only be in groups of 10 maximum.

To smoke or vape, the smoker must step out on to the street and keep a 2 metre distance from other people.

Discos and karaoke is still banned.

Live music is permitted under strict restrictions. Benidorm palace is open on Fridays.

Street Protocol

It is reminded that masks are compulsory at all times in Benidorm, regardless of whether you can keep a safe social distance or not. This causes a lot of frustration but the law is the law and one must wear a mask even if there’s nobody nearby. You can only smoke if you can keep a 2 metres safety distance. Drinking in groups on the street is banned. You must wear a mask and sanitise your hands when entering shops, bars and restaurants.

Public Transport

Public transport is fully operational on a normal timetable. You must wear a mask on public transport. The driver will be behind a plastic barrier. You can still pay in cash. You enter from the front and exit from the back of the bus.

Hotels

Many hotels are closed in Benidorm so I urge you to contact your hotel directly to find out if they are open or closed. At the moment, there are only around 20 hotels in Benidorm that are open. You must wear a mask in all common areas of the hotel and sanitise your hands upon arrival. Pools are open with no booking required.

Alicante Airport

48 hours before your arrival to Spain, you must fill out a QR code. You will need to provide your contact details, the details of your stay and recent history (such as recent hospital visits). You will also need to provide details of how long you will be remaining in Spain and provide any details of onward travel. You will scan this at Alicante airport and have your temperature checked. If your temperature is high you will undertake a visual check and a further medical check.

COVID App

The government are urging visitors and residents to download the “Radar COVID” app available on the App Store and google play store. This app is available in many languages including English. This app will inform you if you come into contact with a potential risk contact. This app does not track your personal data and it does not collect any geolocation data. It therefore cannot determine your identity or who the person is you have been in contact with. Instead, it uses Bluetooth and if somebody ticks that they’ve tested positive in the last two weeks it will alert other mobiles nearby. It works in the same way as airdrop does and does not rinse your battery.

If you have any questions please feel free to leave a comment below or for any private questions please contact diaryofaspanglishgirl@gmail.com