The massive COVID-19 pandemic has taken a hit at the tourism industry and to salvage it, authorities are taking measures to make sure tourists are protected and safe.  Rio de Janeiro is one of the biggest tourist attractions in the world and to solve the issue it has been facing with tourists, the mayor of Rio de Janeiro has announced that the popular Brazilian beach city will come up with an app that can be used by sunbathers to follow social distance by booking space on the sand in advance. Mayor Marcelo Crivella further said that Rio's beaches could only fully reopen with clearly demarcated areas so that people are properly socially-distanced. The aim is to curb the spread of coronavirus infection.

The app will make it easier for people to book an area in the sand of Rio beaches that have been packed in recent weeks. To curb the threat to people's health and not create another wave of COVD-19 these steps will be taken. despite the threat of a fine. "People will be able to remain in demarcated areas, based on the time they arrive and also by reserving via an app. That way, we can better organise something that's not working well today," Mr Crivella told a press conference.

Rio authorities closed beaches in March when coronavirus pandemic had begun and now that COVID-19 has killed over 100,000 people, Brazil stands second to the United States in terms of death tolls.  On 31 July, the Rio oceanfront was reopened for swimming however, sitting on the sand was not allowed.

People have crowded the beaches such as Copacabana and Ipanema on recent weekends to soak up the sun, play football in the sand and it is important that people follow social distancing rules so that COVID-19 isn't spread further.  Other beach destinations have also worked on other ways to deal with the problem of people crowding in amid the COVID-19 pandemic.  For example, Spain tourism that has been badly hit during this difficult time is using drones whereas Belgium plans on using sensors and cell-phone location trackers.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 12, 2020 01:18 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).