Is Spain Likely To Go On Amber Plus?
Spain is set to swerve the dreaded “amber plus” status, according to reports. Rumours abounded that the country might be added to the special category, created specifically for France last month, in response to fears over the Beta virus variant. “Amber plus” travellers entering the UK must quarantine for 10 days and take two PCR tests, regardless of vaccination status, while regular amber list arrivals can avoid self-isolation if they’re double jabbed or under 18.
- However, it is now expected that Spain will cling onto its amber-list position in the government’s upcoming travel review;
- A Whitehall source told the Times : “Spain won’t be going on the amber watchlist – the only danger is it going red but that’s very unlikely;
“Cases are coming down. And they haven’t got enough beds to quarantine everybody. So it’s not going to happen. ” According to data analyst Tim White, Spain’s case numbers were down on 3 July. “New Covid-19 cases (of all variants!) fall by a considerable 23 per cent,” he tweeted.
“20,327 new infections this evening. “A week ago the seven-day infection rate peaked at 550 AD/M, this evening it’s down to 473. ” More crucially in terms of amber plus, he said the latest data on Spain’s instances of variants was “very good news regarding the upcoming UK traffic light review.
” “In week 26, there were 184 cases of the Beta variant identified in 2,404 sequenced samples (7. 7 per cent); in week 27 that figure is down to just 33 in 2,389 samples (1. 4 per cent),” he added. The latest update for international travel rules, when countries are shuffled between the green, amber and red lists with restrictions to match, is expected to take place on 5 August, with changes coming into effect the following Monday.
Will Spain and Greece stay off the amber-PLUS list?
Which countries could be added to ‘amber plus’? – Paul Charles, chief executive of travel consultancy The PC Agency, told i : “The concern is the Government will be looking at Spain and Greece and potentially add those to the ‘amber-plus’ category.
- “When you look at the latest tables, the Balearics have very high rates, why aren’t the Government as concerned about the Balearics as they are about France? I think we may see further changes as countries see higher infection rates;
” Data shows that cases of the Beta variant in Spain are nearly three times as high as France. According to the Gisaid Research Centre, 9. 3 per cent of coronavirus cases in Spain were the Beta variant, compared to 3. 7 per cent in France. In Spain , the 14-day infection rate has now reached 382 cases per 100,000 people.
France’s rate is far lower, at 189 per 100,000. Greece’s infection rate has also been rising fast, and is now at 175 per 100,000 people. Despite this, The Sun has reported both Spain and Greece are likely to stay off the amber-plus list, and France could even be re-added to the amber list.
Other countries, however, may still be at risk. Data analyst Tim White told The Telegraph : “Luxembourg has very high incidence of the Brazilian variant, so must surely be red at least ‘amber plus’. “Belgium, Netherlands and Germany must be at risk too – low incidence of variants but could change.
- ” The Beta variant is classified as a “variant of concern”;
- It carries a mutation which is thought to make it more contagious;
- However, there is no evidence to suggest it makes people more unwell;
- One study showed that the AstraZeneca vaccine may not be as effective at protecting against this variant;
Because of this, AstraZeneca is now trialling a new version of its vaccine specifically tailored to protect against Beta.
What does Amber plus mean for Spain?
What is the amber plus list and which countries could go on it?
M inisters could scrap the quarantine exemption for fully vaccinated UK holidaymakers returning from Spain an analyst has warned. Data expert Tim White believes the Government may announce next week that the country will be added to the amber plus list.
This is due to NHS Test and Trace figures showing that 2. 9% of people arriving in England from Spain between July 1 and 21 tested positive for coronavirus. I cannot see Spain being put on red, but realistically amber plus is likely, and likely for the islands of Spain, too, because of the very high infection rates Mr White said: “More worryingly for Spain is that 3% of the samples had a variant not widespread in UK.
“So, from the data, my analysis is bleak. ” He described the decision on Spain’s status as a “huge call” for Transport Secretary Grant Shapps. Spain is the UK’s most popular tourist destination. “I cannot see Spain being put on red, but realistically amber plus is likely, and likely for the islands of Spain, too, because of the very high infection rates,” Mr White added.
Spain is currently on the amber list, which means fully vaccinated travellers returning to the UK do not have to self-isolate for 10 days. Moving to amber plus would remove the quarantine exemption. France is the only country currently in that tier, but there is speculation it will be promoted back to amber when the Government updates the travel lists on August 5.
Changes are likely to be implemented on the following Monday. All travellers entering the UK from green list locations do not have to self-isolate, while those returning from a red list country must enter a quarantine hotel at a cost of £1,750 for solo travellers.
Paul Charles, chief executive of travel consultancy The PC Agency, said he does not believe Spain’s status will be changed in the short-term as the Government wants to “move away from amber plus” following criticism at the creation of the tier.
The number of coronavirus infections in Spain is “flatlining at the moment and starting to reduce a little bit”, Mr Charles told the PA news agency. “That could be a sign that things are starting to improve. “I think it would be a very brazen Government that would tell a million British tourists in Spain at the moment, and the Balearics, that they would have to quarantine on their way back.