Spanish beaches may slash sunbathing space up to 90% to help social distancing – sparking sun lounger wars

THE battle for the sun lounger in Spain could be about to get even more fiery as the number of sunbathers on Spain's very best beaches could be reduced by as much as 90 per cent.

Malaga council on the Costa del Sol is leading the way with an intensive study into how much space each person should be given on the sand to ensure maximum safety.

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If each sunbather was allocated a personal zone of 25 square metres across its 15 beaches, capacity would plummet from 194,00 users on a jam-packed day to just 18,200.

However, this scenario may have to be adopted to meet social distancing rules and to prevent any resurgence of COVID-19.

Councillor for beaches, Teresa Porras told they had been working on various options and dimensions whilst waiting to hear when the Spanish Government will allow beaches to reopen for sunbathers.

She said: "The only thing that seems clear is that a capacity will be set.

Progress is being made along this line but little else can be done until de-escalation is known. When they tell us how, we will get going."

Malaga's famous beaches include Playa de San Andrés, to the south of the city's port and Campo del Golf in front of a golf course.

Their usual capacity is 18,308 and 27,000 but this could be reduced to 1,300 and 4,500 if the zoning suggestion of 25 square metres is adopted.

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Smaller areas could be allocated but three square metres is considered "saturation" and less than two square metres "intolerable".

The government of Andalusia wants beaches to open as soon as possible and says the police could act as "beach watchers".

They would let people in until capacity was reached and then hang ";beach full" signs.

Malaga itself has 13.5 kilometres of coastline.

Some beaches in Spain reopened yesterday, but only to allow children with a parent to walk under the new rule which allows youngsters to go out for an hour a day, after they were previously ordered to stay at home.

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Families have been warned not to sunbathe or swim which would breach the confinement rules.

EU countries are going to discuss ways that they can open their borders to tourists again at a meeting today.

Tourism ministers from different countries will hold a video conference call to agree on rules for holidaymakers travelling around the continent – but the UK isn’t invited to the talks, having left the EU in January.

Bars and restaurants across the Costa del Sol could open to tourists as soon as May 25.

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The plans follow the easing of the lockdown in Spain, with kids now allowed to go outside if accompanied by an adult.

Trips to Ibiza, Majorca, Menorca and Formentera are already off the cards for holidaymakers from the UK even when they do start to reopen to foreign tourists, because the country waited too long to go into lockdown.

President of Benidorm's British Businesses Association, Karen Maling Cowles also told Sun Online Travel that it was unlikely that Brits would be allowed there either during peak holiday season.