The prime minister of Spain has called the imposed 14-day quarantine on all those returning to the UK from Spain “unjust”.
According to Pedro Sánchez, visitors to most Spanish regions are safer from Covid-19 than they are in the UK, and that he hopes the UK government will reconsider their decision. In a television interview, Sánchez said that his government was "talking with British authorities to try to get them to reconsider" their decision.
He continued that "64.5 per cent of the new cases registered are in two territories" and that in the majority of Spain, the presence of Covid-19 was "very much inferior to the numbers registered in the United Kingdom".
The latest figures from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control indicate that the rate of infection in Spain is 35.1 cases per 100,000 people, while the UK is at 14.7.
The UK government have said that there are no plans to change their decision at present, while the prime minister’s official spokesperson warned that "no travel is risk-free during this pandemic".
When asked about the risk to other holiday destinations, Simon Clarke, a junior government minister, said that potential rule changes "has to be factored in".
He continued: "By all means go on holiday but understand that there is a chance you may be asked to self-isolate upon your return.”
Yesterday the Foreign Office extended travel advice for Spain, stating that non-essential journeys to the Canary and Balearic Islands ought to be avoided.
The Labour party have referred to the government’s introduction of restrictions as “chaotic”.
