Spanish coronavirus patients are taking trips to the seaside as part of their recovery from the illness.

Spain reopened most of its beaches on Monday David Ramos / Getty Images 

Coronavirus: Barcelona beach trip for recovering patients

Medical teams at the Hospital del Mar in Barcelona have been photographed wheeling people to the beach as part of a programme designed to humanise intensive care units.

In total, Spain has confirmed 239,932 infections and 27,127 deaths.

The government has slowly begun to ease what was one of Europe's most restrictive lockdowns.

At one point people could not go out to exercise and children were not allowed to leave their homes for any reason.

Isidre Correa was taken to the seaside on Wednesday David Ramos / Getty Images

But Spain has brought its outbreak under control in recent weeks.

Tuesday was the second day running that Spain did not report a single coronavirus death over the previous 24 hours.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez asked parliament for one further extension to the state of emergency until 21 June.

"We have overcome the worst of the pandemic," Mr Sanchez said. But opposition parties have criticised his response to the outbreak and the repeated extensions of the state of emergency.

He has been in hospital since 14 April David Ramos / Getty Images 

Coronavirus | Man dressed as grim reaper vows to visit US beaches that reopen too early

Lawyer plans to visit Florida beaches dressed as the Grim Reaper to warn people to keep distance

"I'm just trying to take all the steps to ensure our safety and trying to get creative about it," Daniel Uhlfelder said.

A lawyer who gained national attention with his advocacy against privatizing Florida beaches is now working to keep those same beaches closed during the coronavirus pandemic — by wearing a Grim Reaper costume and warning beachgoers about the necessity of social distancing.

"I felt like something needed to be done, because they're moving very quickly to open beaches prematurely," Daniel Uhlfelder, a Santa Rosa Beach-based lawyer, said. "Wearing a Grim Reaper costume seems like a good way to send a signal that this is too fast and that we need to think seriously before we take that step."

Many of you have asked if I am willing to travel around Florida wearing Grim Reaper attire to the beaches and other areas of the state opening up prematurely. The answer is absolutely yes. Beginning May 1 we will hit the road here in state. Please retweet and spread the word. pic.twitter.com/UO7QKg161n

— Daniel Uhlfelder (@DWUhlfelderLaw) April 22, 2020

Uhlfelder has spent the past several weeks advocating to close Florida beaches, and the Grim Reaper costume, which he will start wearing to beaches on May 1, is only the most eye-catching of those efforts. Last month, he sued Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, seeking an injunction for a statewide closure of beaches and urging him to issue a stay-at-home order. DeSantis, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment, mandated a 30-day stay-at-home order earlier this month, but he gave a green light to reopen beaches Friday, the same day the state reported its highest number of new coronavirus cases.

"I'm just trying to take all the steps to ensure our safety and trying to get creative about it," Uhlfelder said. "I've sued the governor. We're in court with him. It looks like they're rushing to do this, and it's just too soon."

This isn't the first time Uhlfelder has made a splash on social media. Last year, he and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee got into a Twitter spat stemming from a debate as to whether the beach in front of Huckabee's property in Walton County should be considered private or public. Huckabee filed a complaint with the Florida Bar accusing Uhlfelder of "vile and unprofessional attacks" and "repeatedly posting disparaging information" about him. Uhlfelder called his complaint "false" and said that within a month of the complaint, he went from having 400 Twitter followers to more than 100,000. In the months since, he has continued to build a following for his searing posts.

Covid19 | Police use gun to keep surfer out of water in Costa Rica

Saturday, 3/28 at Praia Hermosa, Costa Rica.

The government enacted measures to reduce the spread of the new coronavirus and ban was surfing was one.

That same day, the local professional surfer Noe Mar McGonagle, was arrested for surfing in Playa Hermosa, Costa Rica.

According to the specific laws of Costa Rica concerning the pandemic, the surfer Noe could be sentenced to 1 to 3 years in prison for the offense. However, it has already been formalized that Noah was released 45 minutes after his arrest on bail.

Keep Calm & Stay Safe! #stayathome

CORONAVIRUS VS SURFERS

By now, the far-reaching arm of Coronavirus has touched nearly everyone’s life in some way.

But, as surfers, how has the spread of the Coronavirus effected our pursuit of waves? Or how will it in the near future? Already, the WSL has reportedly postponed (potentially canceled) upcoming QS events in Indonesia and Japan; and surfing’s debut at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics is in question.

We wanted to see if it has had an impact on the movements of your favourite ocean-going protagonists from stepping foot abroad, or chasing swells, or if they're even bothered about it?

Mick Fanning:
“I think you’ve got to be cautious, but you’re never going to stop surfers trying to get waves. I actually just travelled home from Europe through Singapore the other day and the airports are all over it. Felt pretty safe.”

Dane Gudauskas:
“I would say I am fairly concerned about the coronavirus regarding travelling. There just seems to be so many unknowns at this point with new locations popping up seemingly every day.  Even your hometown could become affected potentially, so the thought of staying home vs travelling to go surf gives me mixed emotions at this point.

“I haven't had any trips impacted yet, although I have some plans  of being in Indonesia at the end of the month that I am keeping an eye on just to see how this virus is moving and continuing to take form...  Im hopeful that in a few weeks more info will continue to come to light in order to make the best decision I can.

“Even if that trip were to come together and move forward I think its just about being as informed and aware as possible of what is going on, and obviously being responsible for my movements and actions afterward if I was feeling sick at all.

“I have just been trying to wash my hands a lot more and be just a bit more cautious putting my hands all over everything at the airports.

“At this point, I really don't know the solution or have any advice. I'd say I'm right there with everyone else in terms of trying to find the balance that makes sense to navigate this virus and continue living life.”

Rafael Tapia:
“As travelling surfers we have to support ourselves in different ways, and in my case that involves a wine business. Surf-wise, I’m not too concerned, although it is becoming a little more difficult with flights being re-routed and cancelled in Asia.

"But in terms of my wine business—which supports my surfing—the biggest wine fair in Germany is in a couple of weeks, and all of my Asian clients are cancelling, so that is probably going to result in me not going to a really important event. In the long run, the virus outbreak might limit my travel somewhat if I am not able to support that travel through my business, but as of now things are fine.

“Another thing I have noticed is that lot of gear that I source from China has been delayed and is difficult to get. A lot of new technology in foil and wind surfing, and other things that are produced in China, are difficult to get at the moment. So hopefully for all the workers in China and the economies around the world, this situation will be resolved soon.”

Mikala Jones:
“I’m just gonna surf wave pools from now on.”

Kepa Acero:
“I just came back from Africa and I found all this crazy media talking about this, all day. I’m of course keeping an eye on how it is developing in the world, but, to be honest, I am pretty skeptical to what I hear in the commercial media. I’m not saying that this Coronavirus is not happening, I am just saying that the big press are capable of easily generating and spreading fear. I am gonna keep an eye on how it is going. But for now, I’m going back to Africa in April, keeping the serenity.”

Emi Erickson:
“Sure, coronavirus is freaky—but so are a lot of things. Travel is the best thing ever, so I wouldn’t hesitate.”

Keith Malloy:
"At this point corona virus isn't going to stop me from travelling. Looking forward to staying on the road in 2020."

How do you feel about traveling to surf amidst the Coronavirus concern? Sound off in the comments below.

#Coronavirus #civid19

Surfing has also been affected by Coronavirus

The World Surf League has cancelled all of its competitions in March, including the season-opening 2020 championship tour event on the Gold Coast in Australia.

 Surfing has also been affected, with the World Surf League deciding to cancel all events for the rest of March, including the opening event of the year in the men's Championship Tour, scheduled for Snapper Rocks on the Gold Coast from March 26.

"We did not take this decision lightly as we are aware that it has a significant impact on the surfing community," the WSL said in a statement.

"However, the health and safety of our athletes, fans, and staff are paramount. From the standpoint of social responsibility, we also take very seriously the role our events might play in accelerating the spread of the virus.

"We've been in close contact with our athletes and we feel strongly that this is the right thing to do right now."

The WSL said it was "closely monitoring and evaluating the status" of upcoming events, including the next Championship Tour event at Bells Beach in Victoria.

For more information go to worldsurfleague.com