Spain extends border closure until June 15th and let 5 airports open to foreigners
Spain has embarked on the “desescalada”, the deconfinement plan which will be divided into 4 phases. Nevertheless, the state of emergency is still in force and Spain has published two new decrees which extend the closing of the borders and which authorize 5 airports to receive people coming from abroad. The latter must justify a valid reason for going to Spain. These measures are in addition to the mandatory 14-day quarantine for those arriving from abroad, and clearly go against the European trend to reopen internal borders. Lisbob, the expatriate assistant, tells you all about extending border closings and open airports.
Spain extends border closure until June 15th and let 5 airports open to foreigners
Spain is divided between several territories: those which are already in phase 1 of the deconfinement plan, or those which are still in phase 0, the initial phase. Travel restrictions are strict in Spain and it is currently not possible to move freely throughout the territory.
While the European trend is towards a progressive reopening of the borders and the resumption of international flights, the government of Pedro Sánchez today published two new decrees which aggravate the isolation of Spain by prolonging the closing of the borders until to June 15 and by limiting to five airports those which will allow the entry of foreigners, who will also be in compulsory quarantine due 14 days. The only airports authorized to receive travelers from abroad are Madrid, Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Canary Islands and Malaga.
The extension of the border closure responds to the recommendation of the European Commission of May 8. EU Member States and partners in the Schengen area have been proposed to extend the closure of the external border for an additional month for non-essential travel, in order to "reduce the risk of the spread of travel sickness. " However, Brussels expressed at the same time its conviction that in terms of internal borders, "the countries should begin to open them gradually and in coordination, before lifting the restrictions on the external borders which could be relaxed in a second phase".
The government due Pedro Sanchez is doing the opposite: the access of non-Spaniards or usual residents in Spain was tightened on Tuesday, the prohibitions extending precisely to citizens of the EU and the Schengen area, so that they already applied to countries in the rest of the world. Today's BOE, by order of the Spanish Ministry of Transport, stipulates that the persons who are authorized to enter the territory - those already mentioned, plus diplomats, members of crews or travelers by force majeure , among others - may do so via these airports. In addition, the ports of Bilbao, Barcelona, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Malaga, Palma de Mallorca, Tenerife, Valencia and Vigo will be the maritime entry points authorized to receive people from abroad.