Spain: Portable pools are a hit among citizens amid strict COVID-19 restrictions

The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has forced everything to shut down from schools to colleges to workspaces to public pools and beaches. The best way to beat the scorching heat is to get into a pool. Welcoming the new normal with open arms, people in Spain have turned to using portable pools at home to beat the heat.

Most people in Spain, who have backyards, some open spaces, terraces and communal patios have found a solution to keep cool by using above-ground pools. As per several reports, sales of portable pools including the cheap inflatable models started to rise this year during May, when Spain was still under a strict lockdown. Since most people realised that they would have to spend summers at home, they started shopping for portable pools. Reportedly, by June, most of the models of above-ground pools had sold out.

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A 44-year-old construction manager named Javier Salcedo from Seville decided to buy a sturdy pool with plastic walls but had to find it in the second-hand market. Speaking of his purchase,  Salcedo told AP, “It was easy to see. Public pools or private clubs were closed and the rest of the plans for the summer were up in the air.”

A 30-year-old named Isabel, who raises four children, lives in one of Seville’s poorest neighbourhoods. She bought an inflatable model to make the heat more bearable for her son who has Down syndrome. Isabel told AP, “I have no other place to put it but in the street. It’s horrible to live in these precarious circumstances.”

Spain PM says army would be deployed to help fight COVID-19

Spain has recorded a total of 377,000 virus cases and reported nearly 29,000 fatalities. The country has been trying to combat one of Europe’s most severe virus outbreaks. Since ending the strict lockdown, the nation has recorded nearly 132,000 new coronavirus cases. Amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, Spain’s Prime minister on August 25 announced that the army would be deployed to help regional governments in their battle against the deadly virus.

Nearly 2,000 army soldiers that are responsible for health care will be made available to various regions and the troops are expected to assist the regions in tackling the virus. Spain is gearing up for the beginning of the school year in September. The country is fearing an uptick in coronavirus cases and as a precautionary measure has imposed several new measures such as bans on social gatherings of more than 10 people while Murcia which is located in Spain’s southern coast has restricted gatherings to six people. 

(Image credit: AP) 

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