ARCHIVED - Balearics removed from UK green list for travel

A further blow for tourism in the islands as unvaccinated British visitors are obliged to quarantine on their return home

The Spanish tourism sector has been dealt a further blow as it attempts to recover from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic with the news that the British government has removed the Balearic Islands from its “green list” of areas for travel after just two weeks, due to the recent surge in reported Covid cases.

The Balearics are now back on the “amber list”, according to the Minister for Transport, Grant Shapps, although travellers who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 may return to the UK without quarantining for ten days. However, they are required to undergo testing both before travelling to the islands and on their return.

This is the case for all destinations on the amber list, although it applies only to those who have been vaccinated in the UK: in theory at least, people vaccinated in Spain should quarantine on arrival in the UK.

Needless to say, this will have an important effect on tourism in the islands, which are one of the favourite summer destinations for British sunseekers. There is even speculation that those already on holiday there may bring forward the dates of their return journeys before the new regulations come into force on 19^th July.

On Wednesday Spain’s Ministry of Health reported a further 598 cases of Covid in the Balearics with a PCR testing positivity rate of 11 per cent, and the 14-day incidence rate has risen to 406 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, well above the “extreme risk” threshold of 250.