Spain's foreign affairs minister, Arancha Gónzalez Laya, said on Sunday that the Spanish government is trying to convince the UK government to exclude the Balearics and the Canaries from the quarantine requirement for travellers arriving in the UK from Spain.
The minister argued that this exemption was justified on the grounds that the two island regions are "insular territories and highly controlled". The epidemiological data in both the Balearics and the Canaries are "well below" those of the UK.
Gónzalez Laya added that discussions "are continuing" with the British authorities and are with the support of the governments in the Balearics and the Canaries. "We hope these contacts will bear fruit soon."
There will, she stressed, be no "reciprocal measures" in retaliation. Measures adopted by the Spanish government are based on the epidemiological data: "this is not a diplomatic game".
"Spain is a safe country. Like other European countries, Spain has new outbreaks. This is not unusual. The most important thing is that Spain is making a great effort to control these outbreaks." The three major outbreaks - in Barcelona, Lleida and Zaragoza - are "under control".