As every year, the Dénia City Council launches a special device on the occasion of the All Saints' Day festival, which this year is reinforced and expanded due to the health crisis caused by COVID-19. According to the councilor responsible for the municipal cemetery, Pepe Doménech, "Measures have been adopted aimed at guaranteeing health safety standards for users in a few days of massive influx to the site", following the 'Protocol of sanitary measures in relation to All Saints' Day' issued by the Autonomous Secretary of Public Health and the Public Health System.
To avoid crowds and guarantee the minimum interpersonal distance, a route has been drawn through the enclosure, establishing, depending on the width of each street, one or two directions for pedestrians. There will be two entry and exit points for visitors, one through the oldest gate (Camí del Cementeri) and the other through the one that leads to the Saladar road car park; and a third exit has also been enabled through the door with a ramp that leads to the Saladar path.
For the tasks of cleaning and fitting out the niches, five points have been set throughout the enclosure where ladders, showers and cleaning material can be collected, which will have to be returned to the same point once they have been used for disinfection. In addition, the cleanliness of the premises and of the toilets for public use will be reinforced.
The City Council will assign COVID informants to the cemetery during the week from October 26 to November 1 to monitor compliance with health safety regulations and inform visitors about the measures to be followed, among which is the obligation to Wear a mask at all times and the recommendation to use the hydroalcoholic gel that will be distributed throughout the venue. There will be three COVID informants in the morning and another three in the afternoon every day of the week during the opening hours of the cemetery, which from October 25 is uninterrupted from 8 a.m. to 18.30 p.m. (winter time).
The current situation has also forced the suspension of Mass on All Saints' Day in the cemetery.
The Dénia City Council and the health authorities recommend that the tour of the cemetery be strictly necessary to visit the closest relatives and visitors are requested not to make stops in the corridors to avoid crowds that do not respect the appropriate distancing measures .
This year, in addition, it is recommended that people go to the cemetery with the flower arrangements already made, to ensure that the duration of the visit is as short as possible.
Police operation
On the part of the Department of Citizen Security, a special operation has been organized for these days of maximum influx.
On the one hand, an occupation of the public thoroughfare of a special nature has been authorized for the flower shops of the city, leaving in front of the entrance of the establishments some 10 or 12 meters free because the people who collect the flower arrangements can wait in the street and not crowd indoors.
Likewise, a special device of Local Police agents will be assigned to the vicinity of the cemetery to guarantee fluid and safe access for pedestrians and vehicles. The operation will be active from Thursday, October 29 to Monday, November 2 at noon. These days, during the opening hours of the cemetery, there will be a police presence with 2 agents per shift in the morning and in the afternoon, with a total of 18 agents assigned to the service. One policeman will regulate the pedestrian crossing in front of the main entrance and the other will control the crossing of the road with Calle de las Hermanas Carmelitas.
The Camí del Cementeri will be open to traffic in both directions and it is recalled that the areas of public parking Available are the back of the cemetery (Camino del Saladar), with 70 places; the parking area in the front access cordon, with about 20 spaces, and the Torrecremada esplanade, which has about 1.000 parking spaces available.
Improvement actions
People who visit the municipal cemetery of Dénia on these days will be able to see the changes and improvements that have been made in recent months. According to the councilor of the area, Pepe Doménech, a shaded area and benches have been installed in the new part of the enclosure, "Thus executing the most voted project in the participatory budgets of 2019"; The tree pits of the ficus trees have been repaired, the pavement of the oldest entrance has been conditioned and doors, taps and other elements of the public toilets have been replaced.
Improvements have also been made in the oldest parts of the enclosure, a new area for meeting materials and container storage has been set up and a new coffin holder has been acquired.
