Crowds arrived at Manila Bay in the Philippines today (September 20th) to set foot on the synthetic white sand of a new man-made beach.

The project, part of the rehabilitation of the bay famed for its sunset, clearly captured the imagination of Manila residents and thousands showed up for one-day-only soft launch of the beach.

Due to COVID-19 measures, only 70 people were allowed onto the sand at time although long lines of people queued outside for the chance to enter, mostly ignoring social distancing.

Thousands of Filipinos from the metropolis flocked to Manila Bay during the one day soft opening of the synthetic white sand installation as part of rehabilitation and beautification of the famed bay for its sunset. As part of quarantine protocols, seventy people are allowed to enter the white sand area for every three minutes.