ARCHIVED - 4 passengers fined at Alicante-Elche airport for testing Covid-positive on arrival
854 antigen tests have been administered at the airport so far and 55 Britons have been sent home since the beginning of 2021
A total of 854 antigen tests have been administered to passengers arriving at Alicante-Elche airport since 23rd November, the day it became mandatory to provide a negative PCR test to enter Spain, and among them 4 have resulted positive for coronavirus and the passengers were handed over to the Health authorities and fined.
Fines for attempting to enter Spain without a negative PCR test range from 3,000 euros to 600,000 euros, depending on the gravity of the consequences.
The most notable case of a passenger who tested positive at the airport was a Nigerian man travelling from London who was sent to a hospital in Almeria, his city of residence. He was put in a taxi and told to quarantine in his city.
While the Spanish government cannot deny entry to any EU citizen, those who test positive for Covid they must be treated in hospital and then self-isolate for 10 days in a hotel, taking responsibility for the costs themselves.
Since the beginning of the year 55 Britons have been denied entry to the country at Alicante-Elche airport for travelling to the country without being residents, something which was not permitted until Wednesday, when the Spanish government lifted the travel ban for non-residents. However, the British government has now banned travelling to other countries without a valid reason from Monday until 30th June and people UK residents who do so will face a 5,000-pound fine.
This decision has come as a huge blow to the tourism sector in the Costa Blanca as business owners were hoping to welcome back British tourists from 17th May.