26/05/2020
THE GOVERNMENT LIFTS THE QUARANTINE OF FOREIGN TRAVELERS ON JULY 1 TO RELAUNCH TOURISM
Minister Laya announces that, as of July, the quarantine currently imposed on those coming from abroad will be lifted, a decision that is part of the tourism promotion strategy.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, EU and Cooperation, Arancha González Laya, officially announced on Monday the end of the quarantine imposed on travellers entering Spain from abroad. It will be July 1st. A measure that is part of the offensive that the Government has just launched to try to boost tourism from that month. The strategy was announced by the president himself, Pedro Sánchez, last Saturday, and was followed on Monday by a broad inter-ministerial commission, meeting to study the imminent revival of the sector.
"The most difficult has been left behind. Since July, we have gradually reactivated international tourism, lifted the quarantine and ensured health security conditions, " Minister Laya, who was one of the participants in the inter-ministerial commission convened for this, wrote on her Twitter account. Monday and in which only PSOE ministers participated.
According to official Moncloa sources, this afternoon the vice-presidents Teresa Ribera and Nadia Calviño met and the ministers of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska; Transport, José Luis Ábalos; Health, Salvador Illa, and Industry, Commerce and Tourism, Reyes Maroto, in addition to Laya. From this summit came the decision to " lift the quarantine for foreign tourists on July 1. "
LIFTING THE QUARANTINE IS NOT THE RESULT OF "PRESSURE FROM ANYONE", NEITHER FROM THE SECTOR NOR FROM THE DISCOMFORT OF OTHER COUNTRIES, LAYA CLAIMS, BUT RATHER FROM "EVERYONE'S EFFORT"
It was in this commission that the end of the quarantine was approved, a measure that came into force on May 15 and which imposes the imprisonment for 14 days of all visitors, national or foreign, who come to our country from abroad. "Spain is prepared to lift the lifting of measures at the European level and that they enter conditions similar to those of other countries," said Laya in 'Red hot' (La Sexta). The decision to lift the quarantine, he said, "is not the result of pressure from anyone," neither from the sector nor from the discomfort of other countries, he argued, but from "everyone's effort." "As we gain space for freedom, these measures on the border can change and that is what will change," he justified. "We have replaced the quarantine with other border measures, but we have not done so before we know when Spanish citizens will be able to move freely within our territory," he added.
The decision to impose this quarantine was harshly criticized by the national tourism sector, which has felt abandoned by the Executive until the change of scenery that the announcement of the president on Saturday led to, a first gesture followed by the meeting on Monday and Laya's ad. A chain that is joined by the federal executive of the PSOE, which was headed by the Prime Minister, which invites us to trust in the clear support of the Socialists for the relaunch of tourism when we are already at the gates of the summer season.
In this meeting, the socialists have analyzed the whole battery of economic measures that, expressly, they have launched in recent days, driven by the change in the health scenario, the entry of the entire country at least in phase 1 and, also, The fear that it would not be possible to carry out a sixth extension of the state of alarm, which would require concentrating on a few weeks a roadmap initially designed for more time.
Although the decision to impose quarantine was based on sanitary reasons, to avoid the arrival of infected visitors, from a diplomatic point of view it has also had negative consequences for Spain, with neighbouring France leading the unease that has created among European partners this decision. The French country, which does not impose quarantines on the nationals of the Schengen area, has imposed it on the Spanish as a measure of reciprocity. The Minister of Ecological Transition and Inclusion of the French Government, Élisabeth Borne, said this Sunday that she did not invite the French to travel to Spain for their "contradictory measures".
This diplomatic crisis explains that González Laya was in charge of announcing the end of the quarantine, a measure that had already advanced in interviews in foreign media and that is expected to be replaced by sanitary controls.
"Different" Holidays
Already in the morning, the first thing and in an interview on Onda Cero, the Minister of Industry already warned that the entry of tourists will be a fact in July, although she did not specify the date. What he did do was encourage international travellers, especially French and German, to enjoy their holidays in Spain because the alarm will soon end. "Spain has always been a well-liked destination, we have a very good reputation within the sending countries", and now the country has "all the health protocols prepared to have the destinations ready" that will allow "the safe enjoyment of well-deserved one's holidays".
MAROTO ENCOURAGES GERMAN AND FRENCH TOURISTS TO COME TO SPAIN BECAUSE THEY HAVE THE HEALTH PROTOCOLS IN PLACE TO HAVE THE DESTINATIONS READY.
Maroto assured that Spanish tourism has been one of the sectors hardest hit by COVID-19. "But we have a very resilient destination and tourism sector," which is why Spain will emerge "reinforced" from the crisis. "If we work like these two years, on the basis of our products, the professionalization of workers and repositioning the brand as a safe destination, we will be able to save the summer a little, "he said.
The head of Industry in turn encouraged the Spaniards to plan their vacations this year, which will be " different " but "all" deserve after more than two months of hard confinement.
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SOURCE: EL CONFIDENCIAL
