The authorities of the small resort and fishing town of Zahara de los Atunes in the southern Spanish province of Cádiz sprayed bleach on the coastal strip to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
This wild act, which carries a mortal threat to all living creatures in the treated area, became known thanks to local environmentalists. María Dolores Iglesias, who heads an environmental volunteer group in the Cadiz region, said that the spraying was carried out by several tractors and small trucks that scattered bleach solution with the fumigation misters on the beach and nearby dunes.
'It has been an aberration what they have done, also taking into account that the virus lives in people not on the beach. It is crazy,’ she said.
Agustín Conejo, a local official in Zahara de los Atunes, said the decision to spray bleach was made to protect minors and children who would be returning to the beach, but in retrospect, acknowledges the decision was a bad move.
