BRIT holidaymakers in Spain are reportedly set to dodge quarantine from next week as the beta variant is no longer active in the country’s tourist hotspots.
Ministers are said to have been shown data which reveals the Balearics – as well as a huge portion of the south coast from Seville to Malaga – are all now free from cases of the variant.
3
3
The beta variant, which originated in South Africa, is instead concentrated in one north west region of the country, The Telegraph reports.
And even there it has fallen to below 10 per cent of cases as the delta strain takes over.
Overall, beta cases have now dropped to 2.9 per cent of all Covid cases in Spain – down from nine per cent.
Meanwhile Spain’s infection rate has dropped from 27,000 cases a day to 25,000 in the past week after the government introduced “soft” restrictions including vaccine and test passports to nightclubs and curfews at night.
It follows fears that the amber country would move to the amber plus list like France, after its case rate (700 per 100,000) rose seven-fold since June and the foreign secretary refused to rule out the move.
If it is placed onto the amber plus list, then even Brits who have been fully jabbed will have to quarantine for 10 days at home when returning to the UK, as well as pay for three Covid tests – one pre-arrival and two during isolation.
Ministers, however, are said to believe the new data from Spain’s Centre for Health Emergencies and Gridpoint Consulting, should prevent amber plus.
They may also be able to avoid putting the country on the amber “watchlist”, a move which tells holidaymakers it could turn read at any point.
Paul Charles, the chief executive of travel consultancy The PC Agency, told The Telegraph: “Government strategy has clearly shifted towards a more economically driven approach, and that means we’ll see more countries added to the green and amber lists next week.
“Spain’s infection and positivity rates are starting to flatline and decline, so it should avoid being placed on the ‘amber plus’ list.”
Today the foreign secretary refused to rule out the removal of Spain from the amber list, sparking fears that the amber plus rules could be enforced at the next travel update.
When asked whether Spain would be put on the amber plus list, Dominic Raab said: “You’ll know next week at the latest. You have to judge it on the basis of the traffic light system we have got in place right now.
“We can’t give cast-iron guarantees on what the next review will decide. If we didn’t it wouldn’t be a very meaningful review system.”
