7 May, 2021 @ 18:53
1 min read

SNUBBED! Spain is omitted from UK ‘Green’ travel list but neighbours Gibraltar and Portugal make it

Spain is snubbed by UK 'Green' travel list but Gibraltar and Portugal get the go-ahead
File photo dated 08/12/20 of Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps. The NHS app will be used by holidaymakers in England to prove their coronavirus status to destination countries, the transport secretary has announced. Picture date: Wednesday April 28, 2021.

SPAIN has been passed over for inclusion on the new UK ‘Green’ travel list because its overall COVID infection rate is too high.

The details of the first list were announced this afternoon in London by Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps.

But Gibraltar is on the ‘Green’ list, along with Portugal(including Madeira and the Azores) and Israel as the only three short-haul holiday destinations for UK travellers.

Iceland, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, the Falklands, the Faroes, and Brunei make up the rest of the first ten approved countries.

There had been some speculation, but not from British sources, that the Canary Islands and/or the Balearic Islands might be treated separately from mainland Spain.

Many hotels in tourist spots viewed Spain’s non-inclusion on the list as likely and were not planning to reopen until July in areas like the Costa Blanca, especially as operators like Jet2 were not resuming flights and holidays until late June.

France and Greece have also failed to make it onto the list which will be reviewed every three weeks.

Gibraltar’s inclusion also opens up an interesting loophole where people going for a break there can simply hop over the border into Spain with UK authorities none the wiser.

From May 17, UK international travel will operate on a traffic light system with countries graded green, amber or red based on their vaccination rates and case numbers.

Those people travelling from the UK to green list countries will not have to self-isolate on their return but will be required to take a PCR test.

Non-essential foreign travel has been banned for four months and those returning from “red-list” countries are now required to enter hotel quarantine on their return to the UK at their own cost.

Grant Shapps, speaking at a Downing Street news conference, described the list as ‘necessarily cautious’.

READ ALSO:

Alex Trelinski

Alex worked for 30 years for the BBC as a presenter, producer and manager. He covered a variety of areas specialising in sport, news and politics. After moving to the Costa Blanca over a decade ago, he edited a newspaper for 5 years and worked on local radio.

1 Comment

  1. Not really “snubbed”, why use such inflamatory and down market wording – I guess if you read the Sun or Daily Mail though you would be used to this type of HEADLINE!

    Location : Andalucía

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

E0ydfvgxiaa2gbl
Previous Story

Spain’s Queen Letizia pays tribute to daughter Princess Leonor with sweet throwback to the past

Hospital admissions dip below '300' mark as COVID-19 cases continue falling in Costa Blanca and Valencia areas of Spain
Next Story

COVID-19 hospital admissions fall to July 2020 levels in Costa Blanca and Valencia areas of Spain

Latest from Coronavirus

Go toTop

More From The Olive Press