Spain Ban On Uk?
Spain on Tuesday announced that it is lifting a ban on air and sea arrivals from the United Kingdom that had been in place since December in a bid to contain the spread of a new coronavirus variant first detected in Britain. Restrictions on flights from Brazil and South Africa, introduced for similar reasons, will remain in place until mid-April after the current period expires on March 30.
- Restrictions on UK travel will not be renewed on that date;
- Passengers traveling to Spain from the UK will have to show a negative PCR test taken 72 hours before travel;
- Spain is a safe country that is strictly following the recommendations of the World Health Organization and the experts Government spokesperson María Jesús Montero The announcement was made by government spokesperson María Jesús Montero after the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday;
“Spain is a safe country that is strictly following the recommendations of the World Health Organization and the experts,” said Montero, the Europa Press news agency reported. The change in policy has been adopted as the British government announced fines of £5,000 (around €6,000) for travelers who go abroad for vacationing purposes, starting on Monday.
The UK currently bans foreign travel except for health, work and other essential reasons, although the ban is up for review in April. Germany has also expanded its restrictions due to a spike in infections, and is asking Germans to stay at home between April 1 and 5.
At the news conference, Spanish government spokesperson Montero ruled out the possibility of Spain introducing a similarly strict confinement over Easter. Spanish authorities have come under criticism from their dual approach to the upcoming Easter break.
- On one hand, all Spanish regions will be under a perimetral lockdown during the Easter holidays , meaning that nobody can enter or leave their region of residence without a justified reason;
- But the central government has placed no similar rules on visitors from Europe;
The European Commission on Monday called on Spain for “coherence” with regard to its domestic and international coronavirus travel restrictions within the 27-country bloc.
Can Brits travel to Spain?
Travellers from the United Kingdom will be permitted to enjoy holidays in Spain after the latter’s authorities have confirmed that they will officially lift the imposed restrictions for UK’s citizens from Monday when a decree on the matter takes effect.
Spain’s government has emphasized that Britons will be permitted to enter its territory without being subject to restrictions on non-essential travel to the European Union country. In addition, they will not need to show a negative result of the COVID-19 PCR test upon their arrival, SchengenVisaInfo.
com reports. However, authorities in the United Kingdom continue to strongly advise their citizens not to travel for unnecessary reasons to Spain and most other European Union countries, due to an upsurge in the number of Coronavirus infections, especially the B.
617. 2 variant of the disease, which at present has attacked many countries. The UK’s government clarified that Britons who decide to visit Spain from Monday would be obliged to follow the mandatory quarantine rules when they return to the UK.
At present, the EU is attempting to expand the “green list” that includes countries that recently have reported a low number of COVID-19 infections. According to the current maps published by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), the “green list” includes the following countries;
- Australia,
- Israel,
- Rwanda,
- New Zealand,
- South Korea,
- Singapore,
- Thailand.
Besides opening the doors for travellers from the UK, Spain has also abolished restrictions for citizens of Japan in a bid to facilitate the travel process amid the ongoing pandemic. In this regard, Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez stressed that, from June 7, “tourists from other countries with which there is not complete free movement, among them the United States, will be able to enter Spain provided they count on a certificate showing they have received their full [Covid-19] vaccinations.
” Earlier this month, Spain’s Tourism Minister Maria Reyes Maroto said that the country is planning to open up for the UK citizens in order to help the country’s tourism sector recover from the devastating situation provoked by COVID-19.
Currently, Spain is not included in the UK’s safe countries’ list that includes countries with low rates of COVID-19 infection; however, the Minister believes that Spain will get the green light status soon, and Britons will no longer be obliged to follow the ten-day compulsory quarantine requirement when returning to their country.
Will holidaymakers be denied entry to Spain until next year?
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5 A man wearing a protective face mask walks along the promenade in Benidorm on May 11 Credit: Getty Images – Getty Spain is beginning to ease some measures but remains fearful of a second Covid-19 wave after recording the highest case count in the world aside from the US – with 274,369 infections and 27,459 deaths. Madrid has now extended its ban on entry into the country for travelers, except for in exceptional circumstances. The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office continues to advise against all but essential travel to Spain. And all overseas travelers who do gain entry to Spain, including Spanish nationals, will be required to go into quarantine for two weeks.
All incoming people will have to remain in their homes and only be allowed to exit for groceries. Tough new rules have also been placed on hotels as Spain’s struggling tourist industry hopes to make a return, with beach capacity also cut by 60 per cen t.
Foreign minister Ms Gonzalez Laya however added the chances of Brit holidaymakers returning the costas this year are slim, reports the Independent. She said new guidelines for people to be able to board planes and buses safely will have dreamed up before international travel can resume.
- The minister said: “As soon as we have coronavirus under control we will be able to gradually open our country;
- ” Ms Gonzalez Laya suggested “green zones” could be set up across the continent which could allow travel between areas of limited infection;
However, popular holiday hotspot Benidorm has said it hasn’t “given up hope” on British tourists returning to its beaches. Mayor Toni Perez said he is confident Covid-19 will not beat Britain’s love affair with the Costa Blanca resort, with four out of every ten holidaymakers coming from the UK. 
5 Spanish Foreign Minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya admitted tourists may not be welcome until 2021. Pictured on March 4. Credit: AFP – Getty 
5 People on the terrace of an open bar in Madrid on May 12 Credit: Getty Images – Getty Tough travel restrictions remain in place across much of Europe – despite nations beginning to reopen, with Slovenia becoming the first to declare itself virus free. Britain’s health secretary Matt Hancock admitted this week that summer holidays are “likely” to be cancelled amid the ongoing outbreak. Speaking on This Morning, he said: “It’s unlikely big lavish international holidays are going to be possible for this summer.
“I just think that’s a reality of life. ” The World Health Organisation has also warned of a second wave of coronavirus hitting Europe if lockdowns are eased to rapidly. Dr Hans Kluge, the body’s regional director, said that governments should be cautious when lifting restrictions and that now is the “time for preparation, not celebration”.
He said a second wave of the killer bug, which has infected 4. 5million worldwide, and killed more than 300,000, could hit Europe alongside an outbreak of other infectious diseases. 
5 People ride their bikes along the promenade of the closed Playa de Levante Beach on May 11 in Benidorm Credit: Getty Images – Getty Spain declared a state of emergency on March 14 and has been gradually emerging from lockdown over the past few weeks. Authorities fear the nation may face social unrest as protesters take the streets to oppose ongoing measures. A confidential document drafted by the country’s Civil Guard said there was a “high probability” of civil unrest over the coming months. Restrictions on movement are now being eased in around 70 per cent of Spain, but a full lockdown remains in place in parts, including Madrid and Barcelona, the country’s two biggest cities. 
Coronavirus social unrest could explode in Spain, cops fear as thousands of anti-lockdown protesters take to the streets.