Weather in Spain: Heatwave forces town to impose official siesta
Feeling a bit sleepy this lunchtime? Perhaps you should relocate to the Spanish town of Ador, where taking a siesta has just become law.
An official siesta has been imposed, confining its residents indoors between 2pm and 5pm each day.
The rule is an attempt to combat the searing heatwave that has been sweeping across Spain, with temperatures in Ador, near Valencia, hitting 40 degrees Celsius.
As well as staying indoors when the police announcement is made to clear the streets, the town’s 1,400 residents must also keep quiet once out of the sun, so that other villagers can sleep.
Ador’s mayor, Joan Faus, told the Telegraph the move was in line with international recommendations.
International organisations have highlighted the importance of a siesta – half an hour or so is recommended.
This is an agricultural area where people tend to rise early to work in the fields. By 12pm it’s impossible to be outside because of the heat. So you stay inside in the cool of your home with the air conditioning on.
Over the next week, the heat wave could take readings in Ador to 43 degrees, according to Spanish weather forecasts.
Scorching weather and enforced naps? Hard life.