HEALTHPLAN MAGAZINE

Spain announced on Sunday that it will reopen its borders to other EU states and Schengen-area countries from June 21.

Furthermore, the requirement for those arriving in the country to quarantine for 14-days on arrival in a hotel or at home will also be dropped said Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez.

In a boost for the country’s tourism industry and British holidaymakers, it was also announced that UK travellers would also be granted entry as the UK is still considered to be an EU member state during the transition period.

However, there was one exception in that the border between Spain and its closest neighbour Portugal, will remain closed for non-essential crossings until July 1, after being requested by the Portuguese government.

The date coincides with the government’s previous announcement that the current state of alert, which was implemented on March 14 to stem the spread of COVID-19, will officially end on June 21.

From this date, Spanish citizens will be permitted to move unrestricted around the country, however, the mandatory use of face masks will remain when using public transport or when gathering in crowded spaces.

Currently, the country is in phase 3 of its de-escalation process, meaning that travel between the different provinces is prohibited.

It comes as the Balearic Islands on Monday will welcome around 11,000 German tourists who will be exempt from having to quarantine.

The Prime Minister explained that those entering Spain from outside of the European Union or from the Schengen free-travel area would be allowed to enter the country from July 1, however, there would need to be a reciprocal travel agreement in place between the two countries. Other factors would also be taken into consideration such as the epidemiological situation of the travellers country of origin.

Spain’s airport operator Aena also announced on Monday that it will open up terminals at Spain’s major airports from July 1 as the travel restrictions to and from Europe are gradually lifted.

Since the commencement of the lockdown in March, only essential travel in and out of the country has been allowed which led to a big drop in demand for flights. This, in turn, has led many airports to close and to suspend operations.

On Monday, Aena released their plans to resume activity at Spanish airports which will include the opening of terminals and other facilities which until now have been closed due to the pandemic.

Coronavirus Safety Measures at Airports

Aena has been focusing on the health safety of its passengers over the past few weeks and plans to roll out a number of measures to minimise any risks.

These include informational posts in terminals, hand sanitiser dispensers, floor markers and protective screens. There will also be floor markers and regular loudspeaker reminders that passengers should continue to wear masks and maintain social distancing.

Aena will also implement thermal-imaging cameras at airports from July 1 which are capable of checking the body temperature of several travellers at once. This is a big improvement on previous methods including pointing a thermometer at a person’s forehead which has to be done separately for each passenger.

Travellers will also be required to complete a Passenger Location Card which will be used to inform the authorities of any COVID symptoms they may have along with their contact address while in Spain. However, the forms which are currently handed out will be computerised to avoid any large gatherings within the airport.

Image Credit: Jean-Pierre Dalbéra from Paris, France / CC BY