The British Foreign & Commonwealth Office upgraded their travel advice to mainland Spain, the Canaries and the Balearics on Saturday evening, advising against all but essential travel.
The President Ángel Víctor Torres of the Canary Islands said they are working with the British government to make the exempt from the mandatory quarantine measures.
These measures currently apply to Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, La Palma, Fuerteventura, El Hierro, La Gomera, La Graciosa and Tenerife.
President Torres wants to create direct air corridors between the UK and Canary Islands.
Torres said, “The Canary Islands is one of the areas of Europe with the lowest incidence on COVID-19, with 5.8 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, which makes it one of the safest destinations to spend vacations this summer.”
Yaiza Castilla the Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce of the Government of the Canary Islands, said the mandatory quarantine measures will cause “repercussions” for their “tourism sector.”
Castilla said, the new restriction will “be detrimental to the Canary Islands due to the repercussions for the tourism sector at a time when some connectivity with the United Kingdom, the main issuing country to the Islands, was beginning to recover.”
A spokesman for the Balearic Islands, Majorca and Ibiza, said, “The government of the Balearic Islands is working in the last hours to establish the bases for a safe air corridor with the United Kingdom.
“The decision of the British government has been greeted with great concern by the Balearic government since it will be a serious prejudice to the tourist activity of our Islands.
“One of the main arguments to defend the establishment of a safe corridor between the Islands and the United Kingdom is the epidemiological situation of our archipelago.
“The Islands have a cumulative incidence of eight cases diagnosed per 100,000 inhabitants in the last 14-days, while in the United Kingdom this incidence is 14.1 and in Spain as a whole, 37.9.”
On Saturday evening the British Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) said, “From 26 July, the FCO advises against all non-essential travel to mainland Spain based on the current assessment of COVID-19 risks.
“Only the Canary Islands (Tenerife, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, La Palma, La Gomera, El Hierro and La Graciosa) and Balearic Islands (Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza, and Formentera) are exempt from the FCO advice against all non-essential international travel.
“This advice is based on evidence of increases in cases of COVID-19 in several regions, but particularly in Aragon, Navarra and Catalonia (which include the cities of Zaragoza, Pamplona and Barcelona).
“The FCO is not advising those already travelling in Spain to leave at this time.
“Travellers should follow the advice of the local authorities on how best to protect themselves and others, including any measures that they bring in to control the virus.
“If you are returning from Spain (including from the Balearics and Canaries) on or after 26 July you will be required to quarantine on your return to the UK, but the FCO is not advising you to cut short your visit.
“You should contact your tour operator or airline if you have any questions about your return journey.
“Public Health England (PHE) are continuing to monitor the situation in the Balearic and Canary Islands closely.
“Travellers there should continue to check this advice regularly.”
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