Switzerland Imposes 10-Day Quarantine For Those Travelling From Spain
Spain News
Published: 06 August 2020 13:43 CET
Updated: 06 August 2020 15:43 CET
Switzerland has followed suit with the UK and other countries by imposing a 10-day quarantine on anyone travelling into the country from Spain.
The move follows recent news that the number of infections in Spain has started to increase once again with 1,772 new cases being registered on Wednesday alone.
Hungary, Norway and the UK all recently removed Spain from their safe list of countries meaning holidaymakers and those visiting on business will have to quarantine for up to 14 days on their return.
Along with Spain which to date has had over 28,000 deaths, those who travel into Switzerland from both Romania and Singapore will also need to quarantine after a big increase in infections.
The new quarantine restrictions will come into force on Saturday, August 8, however, they will not apply to those travelling from the Balearic and Canary Islands.
There are currently 46 countries that have been added to the Swiss ‘safe list’ with Russia, the United Arab Emirates and Azerbaijan all being added to the list from Saturday.
Those who enter Switzerland from Spain will have to quarantine at home for 10 days to avoid potentially transmitting the deadly bug to others.
The Swizz health authorities warned that self-isolation will be mandatory even for those who test negative for COVID-19.
The regions of Valencia, Andalusia and Catalonia will be impacted the most due to the decision. Switzerland is the 11th biggest source of tourists visiting Spain with over 1.8 million visiting the country last year.
Although the vast majority of Swiss visitors to Spain visit the Spanish Islands, in August of 2019, 40,138 visited the Valencia region, 27,070 Catalonia and 25,225 visited Andalusia.
On Thursday France advised its citizens on travelling to the Aragón region after it recorded a large spike in Coronavirus cases. On July 24, France also advised against travel to Catalonia.
German authorities have also announced that as of Saturday, anyone travelling into Germany from the Aragón, Catalonia and Navarre regions will have to take a COVID test.
In an attempt to mitigate the impact of the COVID pandemic, the Canary Islands has announced that it will cover any Coronavirus related costs for anyone visiting the Islands and who contract the disease. This is regardless as to their nationality.
Under the insurance, the cover will be provided by AXA España for up to €450,000. Anyone who contracts Coronavirus during their stay will be eligible for free healthcare treatment, travel assistance, repatriation and any additional accommodation costs due to any quarantine measures.
The news will come as another bitter blow to an already shell-shocked Spanish tourist industry.
Source: El Pais
