For those desperate for a sunny holiday, the possibility of a hassle-free trip to Spain is just that little bit closer as the country has decided to follow in Portugal’s footsteps and open their borders to the UK without the need for quarantine.
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Spain announces no more quarantine for UK arrivals
An official state bulletin has announced that from the 24th of May, Brits will be allowed to visit Spain without the need to quarantine on arrival.
Antonio Mayor, President of the Benidorm, Costa Blanca and Valencia Region Hotel Association Hosbec declared: ‘This is great. Everything that means opening borders and trying to normalise mobility is good news. We are delighted with the announcement.’
The important thing now is that the UK puts us on green light status. We expect many British tourists will now come to Spain but green light status would encourage even more.
Spain remains on UK’s amber list
Unfortunately, despite Spain’s generous announcement, the country remains on the UK’s amber list. This means that all people who return from Spain will need to self-isolate for ten days upon their return.
The UK government has also been clear that residents should not be taking holidays in amber or red-listed countries. Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced in a Downing Street briefing last Wednesday:
We have been absolutely crystal clear that you should not go to an amber or red list country on holiday, you should only go in exceptional circumstances.
Currently, UK residents have been advised to take leisure trips only to green-listed countriessuch as:
- Portugal
- Israel
- Singapore
- Australia
- New Zealand
- Brunei
- Iceland
- Gibraltar
- Falkland Islands
- Faroe Islands
- South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
- St Helena, Tristan de Cunha, Ascension Island
More countries could be marked as safe in early June as the green list is set to be reviewed every three weeks.
It’s not currently known if any significant destinations such as Spain, France or Italy will be added to the list. But, it is believed that seven other countries that narrowly escaped the green list on the first round could now be added. These destinations include:
- Malta
- Grenada
- Cayman Islands
- Fiji
- The British Virgin Islands
- Finland
- Caribbean islands including Antigua and Barbuda, St Kitts and Nevis, Turks and Caicos, and Anguilla
So, for all those eager for a holiday to Spain, the chance may just be around the corner. However, we recommend that residents follow government recommendations and not undergo any unnecessary travel to amber or red-listed countries.
