HEALTHPLAN MAGAZINE

Spain has removed all COVID-19 travel restrictions for all countries in the EU and the Schengen Area, with Spanish minister Reyes Maroto saying that the increasingly relaxed rules are “excellent news” for the tourism industry.

However, when announcing the updated travel rules, the Spanish Ministry of Health noted that for travellers outside the EU/Schengen Area the entry rules remain unchanged.

This means that holidaymakers, except children under the age of 12, wishing to travel to Spain from the UK will still need to produce one of the following:

• A negative Covid test. This must be a NAAT type test (PCR test or similar), which must be carried out within 72 hours of travelling, OR an antigen test that must be taken within 24 hours of travelling.
• A recovery certificate issued at least 11 days after confirmation of the Covid virus by either a PCR or antigen test. The certificate must be valid for 180 days.
• A valid vaccination certificate which must meet with the Spanish health ministry's requirements. It must be approved by WHO or EMA.

A vaccination certificate is only considered valid when reaching Spain if the document shows that the holder completed their primary vaccination no more than 270 days ago or they have received a booster shot.

However, certain exemptions do apply. The Spanish authorities have stated that the vaccination certificate of those aged under 18 years of age does not have an expiry date.

In regards to the recovery certificate, the Spanish authorities point out that this document is only valid if it stipulates that the holder has recovered from COVID-19 in the last six months.

Spain may still require British tourists to follow strict entry rules, however, several EU/Schengen countries have lifted all of their travel restrictions.

UK nationals, regardless of the reason for the trip, can now enter the following countries without needing to provide any COVID proof:

• Austria
• Belgium
• Bulgaria
• Czechia
• Croatia
• Cyprus
• Denmark
• Greece
• Hungary
• Iceland
• Ireland
• Italy
• Latvia
• Lithuania
• Norway
• Poland
• Romania
• Slovenia
• Sweden
• Switzerland

All of the above countries have now dropped their entry rules for all visitors.

It comes as Spain is bracing itself for the first heatwave of the year, with temperatures in southern Spain expected to reach 40 degrees Celsius in the coming days.

Ruben del Campo, a spokesperson from Aemet says that although this is “entirely possible” it is still a bit early to “affirm it outright”. If the mercury does rise to the heights, it would be one of the earliest heatwaves on record, with the last one being reported on June 11, 1981.

Mr del Campo said “we have an intense episode of high temperatures ahead of us” and from June 9, the rise will be “widespread and may last at least until Monday or Tuesday, with the mercury expected to top off at 40 degrees celsius in the valleys of Guadalquivir, Guardian and Ebro, while most of the country won’t dip below 35 degrees celsius.”

Sources

https://www.schengenvisainfo.com/news/brexit-consequences-spain-removes-entry-measures-for-eu-nationals-but-not-for-britons/
https://www.sanidad.gob.es/en/profesionales/saludPublica/ccayes/alertasActual/nCov/spth.htm
https://spanishnewstoday.com/the-mediterranean-exception-southern-spain-braces-for-first-heatwave-of-the-year_1787271-a.html??region=7