Tourists and travellers who arrive in Spain without proof of a negative PCR test could be fined up to 6,000 euros and forced to undergo a rapid test to ensure safe mobility.
"These are serious fines, deterrent fines, it’s not about the money,” said Foreign Affairs Minister Arancha González, who stressed that as of November 23, a negative PCR will be mandatory for all travellers from risk areas.
Spain approved the PCR measure after the European Commission agreed to establish it in the EU, although it's already a requirement for entry into most European countries.
Minister González also pointed out that international mobility accounted for "0.08 percent of Covid imports" and that only 4,800 of the 5,200,000 travellers who've entered Spain since last July have tested positive."
When asked about a false message that’s been circulating on social media, Minister González expressed concern about the circulation of fake news. She said the message was “spread by accounts linked to the far right in Spain" and called it “an orchestrated disinformation campaign with spurious objectives that damage the image of people and the institutions they represent.”
”Without free journalism there is no democracy, no freedom of expression, she added, “but there is also no democracy when there is mass misinformation, structured and conveyed for spurious purposes.”