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The San Martín de Valdeiglesias City Council has renounced the raising of the Blue Flag awarded to the San Juan reservoir and will limit access to this enclave, which will only be accessible to visitors who are going to carry out nautical activities, always by appointment .

This has been indicated to Europa Press by the municipal councilor, Mercedes Zarzalejo, to explain the measures undertaken after the large influx of visitors to this area, especially on Sunday after the state of alarm declined, and situations in which it has been verified that The prohibition on bathing in lakes and swamps has not been respected .

The mayor stressed that early Sunday the M-501 highway was "practically collapsed" with enough kilometers of retentions, which even reached the town of Navas del Rey, to go to the residential areas of the San Juan reservoir.

The City Council suspected that visitors would come, not only to the area with the Blue Flag (different that recognizes the quality of the beach) but also in the area of ​​the Picadas reservoir, and therefore a reinforcement device was made with the Civil Guard, Police local and Civil Protection to supervise the influx of people.

However, the situation "overflowed" those forecasts given that these indications "were not enough" and the situation was such that the forest agents' retainer, due to the retentions, could not go to their surveillance post.

Thus, on the one hand, they have renounced the raising of the Blue Flag, which was awarded on June 9 for the third year in a row, something that they had already foreseen by "not starting this year" the agreement with the Community of Madrid, but which has reinforced the order of the Ministry of Health last Saturday, which prohibited bathing in swamps and lakes in the region within the new normal strategy.

Access by appointment

The City Council's idea was to continue promoting permitted uses in this natural enclave, since "there is much more" than the beaches , but with what happened over the weekend they are going to limit access exclusively to the permitted activities: sailing and nautical sports.

Thus, visitors will be asked to submit documentation to prove that they are going to carry out these activities and the prior appointment of having contracted them with companies that provide said services.

Therefore, it has called a security meeting and will meet with tourism companies to coordinate the development of these exclusive accesses to avoid crowds like last weekend.

"In the swamp there were people bathing and people camping with full normality and at ease, as a camping site, despite the fact that notices have been posted throughout the area that access to the area was restricted. It seemed incredible to me", The councilor has confessed to emphasize that they want tourism to be promoted, but the pandemic situation forces us to be "cautious".

He has also requested a report from the local Police on everything that happened over the weekend that will be forwarded, for information, to the Community of Madrid and Government Delegation.

"We do it so that they are aware that, despite the great work and collaboration with the Civil Guard, it was impossible to control this volume of people , who also came with no decision to go back and if they could not access due to the traffic jam, they did not care", it is finished.

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