ARCHIVED - Spain asks the UK yet again to put low incidence regions and the islands on covid green list
The Spanish Tourism Ministry has asked the UK authorities yet again to consider adding, if not the whole country, then at least the Balearic and Canary Islands, the Levante area and Andalusia to the green list for travel.
Tourism Minister Reyes Maroto has announced during an interview on Spanish TV that her ministry has officially asked the UK again to consider putting Spain on the green list at the next review at the end of June. If giving the whole country the green light is ruled out, then the ministry has asked for at least the most popular tourist destinations (the Balearic and Canary Islands, the Levante area and Andalusia) to be included.
Spain, the minister stressed, welcomes tourists from the UK but the British authorities need to take the country off the amber list to encourage visitors to travel. The Spanish authorities have presented epidemiological data to back their request and continue to work to further reduce incidence levels and guarantee a safe destination for holidaymakers.
On Friday the accumulated incidence rate in Spain dropped from 118 to 110 cases per 100,000 of population.
Spain, Sra Maroto said, is still well on track to achieve herd immunity in August as the vaccination campaign is progressing and the health services are currently inoculating the 40 to 49 age group, with the single-dose vaccine by Janssen helping to speed things up even more.
As of Friday, over 12 million residents of Spain had been fully vaccinated, 25.8 per cent of the population and nearly 21 million had been given at least one dose, 44.2 per cent of the population.
Last week the British Ambassador, Hugh Elliott, indicated that this option may be considered in the next round of revisions, saying in an interview that "in principle" the request of the governments, both of Spain and the archipelagos, with which they have a "very good communication", will be met to classify the islands separately, but that "in practice we will review the situation on the ground, with the scientists."
Prior to the previous round of revisions he had made it abundantly clear that for the current period, Spain would remain on amber, but on this occasion is permitting a little more optimism that the situation may change moving into July.