John Culatto
AIRLINE passengers flying to Gibraltar will have to be residents of the area or workers, the Gibraltar Government has ruled.
It comes as active cases rose to 240 overnight in Gibraltar, almost double the previous all-time high.
Of those, five are visitors to the Rock, with another five being in hospital, one at the intensive care ward.
The new requirements for travel to the Rock were introduced as the latest strain of COVID-19 spread throughout South East England.
One case of the new coronavirus mutation, which is 70% more contagious, has already been found in Gibraltar.
Here is the full list from the Gibraltar Government published today:
1. Individuals who are registered Gibraltarians, either by birth or naturalisation
2. Individuals with residence in Gibraltar, upon demonstrating satisfactory proof of residence
3. Sea farer on transit to a vessel which is berthed at Gibraltar and has immigration pre-clearance letter issued by the Borders and Coastguards Agency
4. Spanish nationals who are in transit to Spain
5. Individuals travelling to Gibraltar on transit to Spain and who hold lawful residence in Spain, upon demonstrating satisfactory proof of residence
6. People who are carrying out a work activity in Gibraltar or who are taking up employment in Gibraltar and who provide proof on arrival
7. Military personnel who have been issued with Travel Orders
8. Individuals who hold an electronic letter issued by the Borders and Coastguard Agency granting that individual permission to enter Gibraltar.
The restrictions will apply from midnight on December 23 along with the need for a COVID-19 test certificate to be shown when boarding.
Only residents of Gibraltar and Spain will be able to cross over the land frontier as flights with the UK were also stopped over there.
Isolating obligation
Meanwhile, the public in Gibraltar has been reminded that ‘it is a legal requirement’ to self-isolate when told to do so by the Contact Tracing Bureau (CTB).
Instead of a phone call, people who could have been infected by a contact will receive an SMS when they have provided a mobile phone number.
The message will give advice on the steps that need to be followed when people self-isolate.
The SMS system will allow the CTB to continue calling those who test positive for COVID-19.
“It is essential that those contacted because they are positive are truthful about everyone that they have been in contact with,” said a government spokesperson.
“Not doing so could put their contacts and others at risk.”
At the moment there are nearly 1,500 people in self-isolation, with most of them being told to stay at home and watch for symptoms.
