The national minister of health, Salvador Illa, said on Friday that all foreign travellers arriving in Spain from this Sunday will undergo three "primary checks" before entering the country.
They will have to fill out a document that gives information regarding their location and whether they have had Covid-19. There will be temperature and visual controls, and if any passengers do not pass any of these controls, they will be examined by a doctor. "From there, depending on the diagnosis, they will be referred to regional authorities' care services."
The Sanidad Exterior branch of the health ministry is to be reinforced in order to implement these controls. There are 600 personnel, of whom 150 are doctors and nurses, and a first contingent of 100 more are being added. This number could be increased if necessary.
"There will be a sufficient number of personnel to carry out the primary controls," Illa stressed, adding that the ministry has ruled out there being "massive" PCR tests on all people arriving in Spain. However, there will be tests if any travellers display symptoms or if health personnel consider tests appropriate, "in accordance with the protocols". "We assume that people with symptoms will not travel."
With regard to outbreaks in Germany this week, the minister didn't believe that these will jeopardise the pilot air corridor scheme for the Balearics or the decision to open the borders from Sunday. If there is an outbreak affecting tourists visiting Spain, Illa explained that regional authorities have the public health provisions to contain this, as happened with a hotel in Tenerife in late February.