Brit tourists not allowed into Spain until ‘end of summer’ when most of population has been vaccinated, Spanish PM warns

BRITISH tourists won’t be allowed to holiday in Spain until the end of summer, when the majority of the population has been vaccinated, the Prime Minister has declared.

The news comes as the Spanish Health Ministry reported 41,576 new coronavirus cases, the highest number registered in a 24-hour period since the virus first broke out.

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A view of a closed bar’s terrace by a beach in Manacor midway through last year[/caption]

Ole Berg-Rusten / NTB

Once 70 per cent of Spain’s population had been vaccinated, Mr Sanchez said the country would start to welcome international tourists[/caption]

Speaking at the 113th meeting of the Executive Council of the World Tourism Organisation held in Madrid yesterday, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said “Only mass vaccination will open the way to the normality we want.”

Once 70 per cent of Spain’s population had been vaccinated, Mr Sanchez said the country would “progressively” prepare to welcome international tourists.

With Spain one of the leading countries in Europe in the vaccine rollout, it was expected the vaccination target would be met by the end of the 2021 summer season, Euro Weekly News reported.

The news would be yet another blow to Spain’s tourism sector, which has been hit hard by the pandemic.

Spain’s tourism sector last year reported losses of €106bn due to coronavirus, with Barcelona, Costa del Sol and Costa Blanca hit the hardest.

Spain initially banned non-essential travel into the country until January 9, before extending it to January 19 – this has since been extended to February 2.

With coronavirus cases continuing to rise in the UK, it was thought that this date may be extended again.

AP:Associated Press

Tourists walk along an empty street at the resort of Magaluf on the Spanish Balearic island of Majorca in July last year[/caption]

Reuters

A tram crosses a virtually deserted street, amidst concerns over Spain’s coronavirus outbreak in March last year[/caption]

The Spanish government said in a statement that they had extended it again due to “some uncertainties over the reach of the new strain”.

It added: “The epidemiological situation in the United Kingdom has progressively worsened.”

Brits also cannot go on holiday to Spain right now due to the UK lockdown, as well as need a negative Covid test on arrival and departure.

Spain has not closed their borders altogether with Spanish residents still able to return from the UK.

However, new travel restrictions require a negative coronavirus test on arrival to Spain, as well as one to enter the UK along with a mandatory quarantine.

Wednesday’s report of cases in Spain showed the pandemic was on an upward trajectory.

A total of 2,412,318 coronavirus cases have been officially diagnosed since the start of the pandemic, according to Spanish news outlet El Pais.

The occupancy rate in hospitals and intensive care units had worsened, the outlet reported, with Covid-19 patients now occupying nearly 20 per cent of hospital beds and more than 35 per cet of ICUs.

The figure was far higher than those recorded across hospitals and ICUs in the first wave.

EPA

An image taken with a drone shows an aerial view of the usually tourist-filled beachside town of San Antonio, on Ibiza[/caption]

EPA

Passersby walk next to an empty bar terrace in Palma de Majorca, Spain[/caption]