Spain on Monday reopened nearly all its beaches to visitors as part of government steps to revive its battered tourist industry following weeks of shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The country, one of the worst hit by the pandemic, also reported no new COVID-19-related deaths for the first time in months on Monday.

Industry and Tourism Minister Reyes Maroto said in an interview with Telecinco TV that even though the country was reopening, it was doing so in adherence to health guidelines in a bid to protect lives.

“It’s not a question of being the first in reopening but to reopen knowing we guarantee the health not only of residents but also of visitors,” he said.

Revenues from tourism went down by nearly half in the four months to April and no tourists travelled to Spain at all that month because of the lockdown.

Spain has reported nearly 240,000 COVID-19 infections with over 27,000 deaths, according to U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.

With no new deaths registered in the latest briefing on Monday, the country is confident it is heading in the right direction.

“There could be a delay in weekend notifications that might still change it, but today we have no obits...That’s very, very favourable data,” Health Emergency Coordinator Fernando Simon said.

All beaches are now open to the public for leisure activities, except those around Barcelona, which is still deemed a risk area.