This is the latest on the travel situation with Spain as politicians call for islands to be excluded from quarantine following spike in coronavirus cases

A spike in the number of coronavirus cases in Spain has led the UK Government to reimpose quarantine restrictions for tourists returning from the country – but there are calls for a more flexible approach.
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Popular destinations such as the Canary Islands and Balearic Islands are also subject to quarantine measures though discussions are taking place over a possible exemption.

On Monday, June 21, Spain reopened its borders to tourists with daily positive case numbers in the country standing at 334, according to the Spanish Health Ministry data.

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While tourists from the UK were permitted to travel to Spain, the Government stated that people would have to quarantine for 14-days on their return or risk a £1,000 fine.

A tourist from leaves Ibiza Airport. (Photo by Andres Iglesias/Getty Images)A tourist from leaves Ibiza Airport. (Photo by Andres Iglesias/Getty Images)
A tourist from leaves Ibiza Airport. (Photo by Andres Iglesias/Getty Images)

UK quarantine restrictions were lifted for many countries including Spain on July 10, as the Government warned that exempted countries will constantly be reviewed and self-isolation measures may be reintroduced if necessary.

And due to a spike in coronavirus cases, Spain has now been removed from the UK’s list of ‘safe’ destinations to travel.

On July 9, the day before quarantine measures were lifted in UK, Spain reported 543 new daily coronavirus cases. On July 23, daily positive cases had risen to 2,615 as quarantine measures for people returning from Spain were reintroduced in the UK on July 24.

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But Spain insists it has the situation under control and the UK Government have been urged to consider a smarter and more flexible approach.

A man wearing a face mask sits at a terrace bar overlooking the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona on July 25, 2020. - The Catalan government ordered the closure of all nightclubs, discos and event halls across this region of northeastern Spain following a surge in cases of coronavirus. (Photo by Pau BARRENA / AFP via Getty Images)A man wearing a face mask sits at a terrace bar overlooking the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona on July 25, 2020. - The Catalan government ordered the closure of all nightclubs, discos and event halls across this region of northeastern Spain following a surge in cases of coronavirus. (Photo by Pau BARRENA / AFP via Getty Images)
A man wearing a face mask sits at a terrace bar overlooking the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona on July 25, 2020. - The Catalan government ordered the closure of all nightclubs, discos and event halls across this region of northeastern Spain following a surge in cases of coronavirus. (Photo by Pau BARRENA / AFP via Getty Images)

Spain’s Foreign Minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya is calling for the UK to exclude quarantine measures for popular island destinations such as Majorca, Ibiza, Gran Canaria and Tenerife.

Ms Gonzalez Laya said: “Spain is a safe country for tourists and Spaniards.

“Like in any other European country we are seeing outbreaks – the outbreaks in Spain are perfectly controlled.

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“At the moment our dialogue efforts are focused on excluding from the quarantine measures the Balearic and the Canary Islands.

“We do hope that this dialogue we have started with the UK authorities, together with the governments of the Balearic and Canary Islands, will bear fruit shortly.”

Meanwhile, travel giants TUI have cancelled all its holidays to mainland Spain until August 10 but have also put pressure on the Government to reconsider its blanket policy for island destinations.

Managing director of TUI UK and Ireland Andrew Flintham told Sky News: "If the Balearics are still okay to go to - and clearly the travel advice says you can travel - should we have a different quarantine or no quarantine for those and not lump it all together, as in one big total Spain quarantine?

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"We're really after a little bit of a nuance because, being honest, going forward, with something like the United States, it could be there's a problem in Florida but not in California, and you wouldn't want to close the whole of the United States to tourists."

While islands such as Majorca could be exempt from quarantine in the near future, as it stands, anyone returning to the UK from any mainland or island destination in Spain will have to quarantine for 14-days or face a £1,000 fine.

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