Spain reopens borders to European tourists
Agencies – Spain has opened its borders to the tourists from European countries. British tourists are allowed to enter Spain from June 21 without the need to quarantine.
Portugal is the only exception, as it decided to keep its border with Spain closed until July 1.
Spain ended its state of emergency on Sunday ( June 21 ) after three months of lockdown amid the coronavirus pandemic.
People can now freely move around the whole country to see relatives and friends for the first time since March 14, when the state of emergency was first declared.
Arancha Gonzalez, Spain’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, stressed that there will be “sanitary checks at the border” and that everyone must “strictly follow health recommendations”.
Spaniards will still have to wear face masks indoors and outside when in public spaces if it’s impossible to stay 1.5 meters apart.
Spain has been one of the most ravaged countries by the COVID-19 pandemic. It has recorded over 245,000 cases and more than 28,000 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.
The tourism sector is the third biggest contributor to the Spanish economy, accounting for more than 11 per cent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product.
Britain is the main country of residence of international visitors. In 2019, of the 83.7 million international tourists who visited Spain, more than 18 million were British. They were followed by Germans (11.17 million) and French nationals (11.15 million).
June 22, 2020 Photo : Tourists on a bar terrace in Jávea . – spain.info
