British Tourists Told To Return Home As Spanish Hotels Close
Spain News
Published: 19 March 2020 12:58 CET
Updated: 19 March 2020 13:58 CET
British travellers currently held-up in Spain due to the Coronavirus pandemic, have been urged to get back to the UK after the Spanish government ordered all the hotels in the country to close.
A statement from the UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) said, "The Spanish government have confirmed that all hotels will close in Spain from Tuesday 24 March.”
The FCO has advised any Britons still in Spain to get in touch with their tour operator as soon as possible.
"We therefore advise British travellers in Spain to contact their tour operator or airline as soon as possible, to arrange their return journey home before this date."
As any country may now restrict travel at any moment, the UK government has advised British nationals against all but essential international travel.
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said, “UK travellers abroad now face widespread international border restrictions and lockdowns in various countries.
“So, with immediate effect, I’ve taken the decision to advise British nationals against non-essential travel globally for an initial period of 30 days and of course subject to ongoing review.”
Spain also closed its land borders with Portugal and France on March 17, which will last until the end of the current State of Alert (Estado de Alarma).
It means that the only people now permitted to enter the country are Spanish nationals, residents and frontier workers. Anybody wishing to enter the country will need to provide proof that they are doing so for essential reasons.
Britons abroad are now faced with the challenge of returning home, with airlines including Ryanair grounding many of their flights. The company has announced that they will most likely cancel almost all of their services after March 24.
It comes as the number of deaths from Covid-19 overnight increased by over 200 taking the number of deaths in the country to 767 with over 17,000 people infected.
The current State of Alert was introduced on March 14 and included significant restrictions on movement for Spanish citizens. At this time, much of the country remains on lockdown.
You can keep up to date on all the latest Coronavirus developments here https://www.healthplanspain.com/blog/health-news/891-coronavirus-spain-latest-news-and-updates.html
