Alex Trelinski
SPAIN’S Tourism Minister, Reyes Maroto, has said that the country is a ‘safe destination’ for holiday-makers.
Her comments today(July 9) in a radio interview with Radio Nacional came after French minister, Clement Beaune, advised people yesterday to steer clear of Spain and Portugal because of rising COVID-19 cases.
France, along with the UK and Germany are three of Spain’s most important markets for foreign tourists.
Earlier today, Germany’s Foreign Ministry declared Spain as a coronavirus risk area.
That classification takes effect from Sunday as Spain’s coronavirus infections have doubled in a week fuelled by unvaccinated younger people.
Speaking to Radio Nacional before the German announcement, Reyes Maroto said: “Governments must not raise alarms. We cannot measure the health situation based only cumulative incidence.”
Maroto pointed out that low hospital admission and death rate numbers were the crucial barometer of what was happening.
Germany had previously classified only some of Spain’s regions as ‘high risk’.
From Sunday, travellers returning from Spain will need to produce a negative COVID test, or prove they have been fully vaccinated or have recovered via the new EU COVID certificate.
