With a few days until their borders reopen, Portugal is getting ready for tourists for the summer holiday season.
With tourism accounting for 17% of the country’s GDP, and 1/5th of Portugal’s population earning their livelihood from tourism, it is essential for tourism to resume.
With the coronavirus pandemic still posing a health threat, technology will help maintain social distancing among tourists.
According to the deputy mayor of Cascais, Joana Pinto Balsemao, a camera will monitor the number of people on the beach.
She also says there will be flags to monitor the people on the beach. A green flag will show when the beach is 30% full, a yellow flag to indicate 60% capacity, and a red flag when the beach is 100% full.
As part of safety measures, there are free antiseptic gel dispensers in the street, and locals can get free coronavirus tests.
Portugal’s government has set safety standards for restaurants and hotels to show preparedness. Hotel cleaning staff now spend 30 minutes in every room, which is twice the previous time for cleaning.
A hotel owner, David Sylva, says Portugal is beginning to get demands from countries like Germany, Spain and France, and as such, they hope their safety measures will be enough to get them ready for tourists.
