The borders are about to be opening to a select few holidaymakers from Germany and now, according to a statement from Brussels yesterday, it could be business as usual from July 1, depending on what kind of quarantine measures certain countries still have in place, such as the United Kingdom, much to the anger of the travel industry and a sizeable portion of the population which is desperate to go on holiday, come to Spain and the Balearics even.
But, the stakes could be high, as could be the price in the short to midterm.
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has said that Spain’s economy is the world’s most susceptible to damage from a second wave of the pandemic - hence why the government has ordered certain measures to remain in place until there is a vaccine.
And while the coronavirus’s national spread has seemingly come under control for now, once Spain opens its borders to international travel on July 1, containing the pandemic could become more complicated.
Current projections by the Bank of Spain suggest the country’s GDP will drop this year by a minimum of 9% and getting the tourist industry is going to play a major part in easing the economic blow. But what is going to happen should opening the borders lead to another spike in cases? The reaction will be swift and harsh again.