Coastal tourism is an important economic engine of our country and the coast remains the Belgian's number one holiday destination. For example, approximately 6 million day tourists visit the coast every year during the summer months, mainly to stroll on the beach or the dike, to bathe in the sea and to enjoy the healthy sea air (KustINzicht2019). The reopening of the coastal area and beaches for recreational use and beach tourism after the (limited) COVID-19 lockdown is not a trivial issue.
In order to support the current phasing-out strategy, a policy informing brief was drawn up concerning the 'Scientific knowledge about the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 in the context of the Flemish beaches'. This note focuses on risk management and the underpinning of possible policy measures for three specific themes. It should be noted that there are still many gaps in scientific knowledge to assess the risks in a conclusive way.
The potential danger concerning the possible presence and contamination by the SARS-CoV-2 virus in seawater, is mainly situated around the inflow of untreated wastewater into the sea. Given this strong dilution in seawater, and the lack of evidence that the SARS-CoV-2 virus is contagious in wastewater, experts state that the risk of SARS-CoV-2 contamination via seawater is very low.
The risk of contamination by the SARS-CoV-2 virus via litter on the beach, is mainly associated with recently ('fresh') abandoned waste such as cigarette butts, medical protective equipment (e.g. mouth masks) and user plastic (e.g. drinking bottles, plastic cutlery). As the tourist beach is the place where many people gather and where large quantities of litter are left behind during the summer months, an appropriate waste management strategy is appropriate to prevent contamination via this route.
Given the sensitivity of the virus to heat and dehydration, it is plausible that the virus cannot survive for long in the dry sand during the summer months, which minimizes the risk of contamination. In addition to civic responsibility and social distancing guidelines, the risk can be further reduced by providing sufficient clean sanitary facilities in the vicinity of the beach.
New scientific studies and observations on the spread and potential human transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in seawater (salt water) and sand are therefore crucial to better assess the risk of contamination on the Flemish coast in the short term.
The complete note (Dutch) can be downloaded here.
For more information about the policy informing brief: FACT CHECK Scientific knowledge about the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 in the context of the Flemish beaches:
Head of communication and press officer VLIZ: Jan Seys -
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Picture (c) Paul van der Heyde
Vlaams Instituut voor de Zee | InnovOcean Campus | Jacobsenstraat 1, 8400 Oostende, België
Tel.: +32-(0)59-33 60 00 | e-mail: compendium@vliz.be
