The Balearics are expected to remain at least on amber when the British government carried out its next travel traffic light review next week.
Despite initial concerns over the infection rate in Spain earlier this week, the latest data has indicated that the infection rate is falling and therefore concerns of Spain being moved to the red list have been eased.
The latest figures published on Thursday showed Spain’s 14-day average case rate is at 457 infections per 100,000 people, down from 604 the previous week, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevent and Control.
Looking at the European market in general, the majority of the Spanish territory has gone from dark red into red in maps published weekly by the EU Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, in support of the Council Recommendation on a mutual approach to the restriction of free movement in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The change in colour means that it is still unsafe to travel to Spain due to the current COVID-19 infection rates in this country, but yet, it is safer than last week.
As a result of the change in colour for most of Spain, the EU countries are advised to impose less stringent entry restrictions on arrivals from these regions.
According to the EU common approach on travel measures, all Member States should require persons travelling from ‘dark red’ areas to take a pre-departure COVID-19 test and undergo quarantine upon arrival.
“This should also apply to essential travellers provided that this does not have a disproportionate impact on the exercise of their function or need. Transport workers, however, should in principle be exempted from testing and quarantine/self-isolation requirements,” the EU Commission advises.
The ECDC had advised the rest of the EU countries to impose stricter entry restrictions on almost the whole of Spain on August 5, when only the Asturias region was coloured in red, while the rest of the country was completely dark red.
Since then, Spaniards, in particular those unvaccinated, have faced more difficulties when travelling throughout Europe after the EU and Schengen Members, one by one, imposed more entry restrictions on them.