Aussie beaches face closure as virus concerns loom

SYDNEY: On the surface, Australia’s Bondi Beach looks the same as every other year, with a recent bout of spring sunshine hinting at the much anticipated summer to come.

Taking advantage of the warmer weather, sunbathers took up their position on the sand, surfers in black wetsuits practiced on the small breakers near the shore, joggers gleamed and coffee-toting walkers strutted along the foreshore.

“Summer is around the corner and everyone’s looking forward to it. It’s been a long winter,” Manager of Bondi’s Lifeguard Service Matt du Plessis told Xinhua on Tuesday.However, the summer may be a very different one, with the threat of Covid-19 weighing heavily on the minds of both beachgoers and those responsible for keeping them safe.

Case numbers in the state of New South Wales (NSW), of which Sydney is the capital, have hovered at around 10 per day for well over a month and the public are repeatedly warned that social distancing is vital to avoiding further outbreaks.

Australia’s beaches, as well as offering a relaxing escape, pose the problem of becoming virus hot zones should too many Aussies flock together at once to beat the summer heat.Bondi alone can see over 35,000 visitors a day in the summertime, more than enough to create a major health crisis should an outbreak occur.

In March, when Australia’s fight with Covid-19 was in its earliest days, Bondi and a number of surrounding beaches were closed to the public after Covid-19 clusters emerged and crowds were seen to be ignoring social distancing advice.

After over a month, restrictions were gradually eased and Bondi returned to resemble the seaside playground it is known as around the globe.However local officials said they are not ruling out a similarly hard line approach during the summer holiday period ahead should it be necessary.

“The last thing we want to do is to see any beaches close or anything like that, I would never want to see the sand empty — but it’s going to be quite difficult to manage,” du Plessis explained.

While plans were laid out to make the summer run smoothly, they are heavily reliant on the public to do the right thing, which for the most part involves abiding by the same social distancing rules as elsewhere, remaining 1.5 metres apart and limiting gatherings to 20 people.

“Coming up into season we’re expecting to have some really busy days, but what we try to do is just to say to people, if you see the beaches are busy, maybe go grab a coffee elsewhere at the local cafe, go support local businesses and come back when it’s quieter,” du Plessis said.

Helping to keep the numbers down will be Australia’s existing ban on international arrivals, keeping an estimated 1.3 million overseas tourists from visiting Bondi, making for a season unlike the beach has seen in decades.

Although, as du Plessis pointed out, there will be plenty of people from Sydney and nearby ready to take advantage of what Bondi has to offer, particularly on hot days during the Christmas and New Year’s Eve period when Aussies really like to dive into summer.

“We’ve got a lot of people living in Sydney and its surroundings and Bondi Beach is an Australian icon so we’re still going to get a lot of local tourism coming from nearby areas,” du Plessis said.

“The crowds might not be as busy but we don’t know until those really hot days come.”Currently most Australians are hopeful they will be able to enjoy a Christmas which is as close to normal as possible.

Already family gatherings of up to 20 people are allowed and as long as social distancing and basic hygiene standards are followed, a BBQ or Christmas party down at the beach could be a real possibility.

After a year like no other, Australians are aching for a break and reward for their efforts in handling the pandemic, and many are looking forward to doing so in true Aussie style, with the sand between their toes.

“I think it’s going to be a really interesting season and we’ll see how it plays out and if everyone can really help us by keeping to the public health order then we won’t have any issues,” du Plessis said.