Laurence Dollimore
FOREIGN tourists will have temperatures taken upon arrival into Spain, it has been confirmed.
From July 1, anyone arriving from outside the country will also be checked for any symptoms of COVID-19 in a bid to prevent a second wave being imported from abroad.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the government is also considering testing each passenger to make sure they don’t have the virus.
All measures are being discussed at the EU level and with the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).
But the idea of testing every tourist has some faults, one being that the most accurate test (PCR) takes too long to give a result, while the quicker tests can be less reliable.
Additionally, if someone was to be infected during the journey, they would not test positive at the point of arrival.
Temperatures are likely to be taken both while boarding the plane and on entering Spanish territory.
Travellers will also be expected to fill out a form which will ask them if they have experienced any COVID-19 symptoms while leaving contact and accommodation information.
Sources told El Mundo that the opening of borders from July 1 will first apply to countries within the EU and the UK.
Countries outside of the bloc will be allowed to enter at a later date following an agreement among all EU member states.
It means that if people come to Spain from outside of the EU during this time, they will still have to quarantine at home.
However, the EU is looking at making exceptions for outside countries which have a low incidence of the virus, with Spain asking the ECDC to define the criteria that would mark a destination as ‘safe’.
Meanwhile, the Balearic and Canary Islands may open their borders to international visitors before July due to their much lower numbers of COVID-19 cases and deaths.
There are continuing discussions being made between Spain and EU member states to setup so-called ‘travel corridors’ between areas like Mallorca and Germany.
