This weekend, the UK government announced that it wasremoving Spain from the travel corridor list, which means that travellers returning to the UK must now self-isolate for 14 days.
The news has come as a shock for a lot of holiday makers, who had already rearranged their travel plans in line with the governments previous recommendations regarding where was safe to travel as we move into the various stages of lockdown.
Since Spain started to emerge from lockdown on 21 June, the number coronavirus cases in the country have surged, with the health ministry logging nearly 1,000 new infections a day at the end of last week.
It is this rise in cases which has caused the government to take this action, with this decision also being backed up by genetic analysis of coronavirus circulating in the UK.
It’s important to note that one reason scientists are advising for this approach is due to ministers failure to appreciate the extent of Britain’s epidemic back in March, as thousands of COVID-19 cases arrived unnoticed from Europe, with more than a third coming from Spain.
What to do if you’re currently on holiday in Spain:
For those who have already travelled to Spain, they should follow local rules to prevent the spread of Covid-19. However, given the rise in cases in the country, they will have to quarantine for a fortnight when they return, whether they are coming from mainland Spain, the Canary Islands or the Balearic Islands.
What if you are due to travel soon?
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office hasadvised against all non-essential travelto mainland Spain from Saturday 24 July.
While the Balearic and Canary Islands are included in the new quarantine rules, at the time of the announcement, the islands were exempt from the FCO advice. This situation could change at short notice, however.