We're all going on a Covid Spanish Holiday

[Discobar]

Spain, the world's second most visited country, has announced it will lift its two-week quarantine rule on arriving overseas visitors from 1 July.

Foreign Minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya said the "worst was behind us".

"In July we will gradually open Spain to international tourists, lift the quarantine, ensure the highest standards of health safety," she tweeted.

Earlier, Tourism Minister Reyes Maroto called on tourists to start booking holidays for July.

Earlier this month, EU officials promised thatsummer is not cancelledin Europe.

Yes health insurance could be a problem.

Not enough information out there, so am very wary.

That's good news, let's hope covid cases keep going down everywhere. I'd love to be able to see family and friends abroad this summer or later this year.

I agree with @BillieEilish
As someone living in Spain I hope that some countries are excluded from being allowed to come here this summer, most obviously the UK and Sweden.

We have all done a serious lockdown. We are still restricted as to the hours we are allowed to leave the house. We were inside with put children in apartments with no outdoor space for over 2 months. My rheumatology appointment was canceled. I could go on.

Facemasks are obligatory in all indoor spaces for anyone over the age of 6 and outdoor as well if you cannot guarantee the 2m distance. The streets of Barcelona (we only moved into fase 1 this morning) are tense and weird.

Its one thing to allow tourists from places which have taken similar measures, but quite another to just let people come and visit from places where the measures have been weak or non existent.

In the gentlest way, you only need to read this site to see the difference in mindset. People in the UK aren't wearing masks as standard, people chatting about keyworker kids in school, people sending their own kids back to school on June 1st.....this stuff is unthinkable to us here. We are literally still almost as restricted in Barcelona now as you guys were at the height of it.

And yes, I'm scared. We are just about getting a little leeway back. But you can still be yelled at by police for being out after 11pm, and like I said, people are tense.

I hope that they change their minds or at least insist on a quarantine on arrival or similar.

I Chose to cancel out July holiday to Mallorca and loose the deposit as I had a fear that countries may open and flights may go but i can't see it being a holiday as normal
And wondered if pools would be open , social distancing in bars and airports lines etc and I wasn't willing to pay several thousands for a half arse holiday and would rather assess how it is next year
Though I'm crossing some places of my list ones that accuse our of all being drunken Brits etc , or those places that say stay away and will spend my money in places that we are welcome

@strugglingwithdeciding Unfortunately our experience here in Barcelona with British tourists is not great.
Of course they are not all drunken idiots

But an AWFUL lot are.

I have both friends and family in two different touristy/expat heavy areas of Spain. The family member is currently with me as she got stuck here just before the lockdown but she's having regular WhatsApp chats with her friends there (both Spanish and expat) and things are opening up where she lives, and the friend is posting pics on Facebook sat outside bars with a drink in the sunshine, with tables suitably distanced. It seems to depend on the area.

@Changednamesorry but it's wrong to tar everyone with the same brush though and it is actually the minority when you consider how many Brits actually visit Spain
Plus many bars encouraged lots of drinking etc as it was about the money

@Ereshkigalangcleg yes it does. The deescalation is regional.

For example, some of the islands ate already in fase 2 which is very relaxed whereas Barcelona and Madrid were still in fase 0 until this morning which is very restricted.

It is regional and it has been made clear that progression along tje deescalation period is not one way, so if tje numbers start to rise again we can wnd up back at 600 euros fines for walking tje long way round to the supermarket (actually happened to a friend of mine, not a random jokey example, very real).

So you could be going to Tenerife in mid July, seems fine now.

. But then if there was a spike in Tenerife (please no) then you might not be able to go or you go but follow very strict regulations while there

Though I'm crossing some places of my list ones that accuse our of all being drunken Brits etc , or those places that say stay away and will spend my money in places that we are welcome
Good idea. I'll do the same

Thanks Billie that's encouraging.

I totally understand why Spanish people wouldn't want to squander hard won progress by accepting visitors from countries with higher infection rates. Whatever happens, I think I will advise the rest of the family that if the UK has a significantly higher infection rate than Spain at that time, we shouldn't go.

Insurance will be cancelled anyway....

I have family (3 generations) in Spain, a festival organised from last year, friends to meet...

I don't know. But I want to go just to get the economy going again...
Like here, at home.

It's all shit basically.

@EasterIssland even posted a quote that includes "y Reino Unido". I'm surprised that @BillieEilish who lives in Spain understands so little Spanish as to suggest it wasn't there.

Personally I think it's a bit of a risk to take flights because planes themselves have clearly helped with the spread, but for people to go home to family it's important to open up a little. The situation will continue to look different every few weeks based on known infection rates, vaccine progress, antibody testing etc. I'd be cautious about booking anything where you'd lose money, or if anyone in the group has vulnerabilities.

Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.

If I could put my car on the train, drive without stopping, stay in a villa that I clean all surfaces a upon arrival, can shop in an uncrowded open air market for all food while there and villa had own pool, then I’d think about it. However, I’d rather take my chance in uk and avoid potentially putting ourselves at risk, at risk abroad. That includes anything else happening that may need medical attention abroad. M happy to take days out to national trust or smaller venues in uk that need our support.

@PeppermintSoda you must know that British tourists have that reputation all over Europe, though? I'm not saying that ALL British tourists are like that but it is a stereotype for a reason!

All this "I'll spend my money somewhere else"..... Ok, that is fine. If you can't understand why we are apprehensive after what just happened in terms of lockdown and the virus, and why we might have been hoping for a summer where our streets wouldn't be crammed with tourists, many of whom ARE in the drunken and loud variety, British or otherwise, then I'm not sure what to say.

Changed thanks for your posts.
Decent responsible family here who's felt a bit guilty about cancelling our holiday and the negative impact on the local economy.

But definitely I'll spend my money where its wanted and help out my own 1st. I hope most other Brits do the same.

I'll also remember posts like yours next year when deciding where to go.

We may have locked down to late and that ks the fault of the government but we have respected lock down.

Just because it wasn't as extreme or even as cruel as the Spanish lockdown doesn't mean we haven't also done our bit to try and reduce the spreading of the virus. We still don't know the real damage done to Spanish children as a result if the lockdown.

So get off your high horse

What was the problem with the Brits in Benidorm pre lockdown? I hadn't heard about this. Please link.

I voluntarily cancelled my July holiday and forfeited the deposit. I was concerned I'd pay the balance as advised by all the travel experts then rather than it be cancelled it go ahead but on a very reduced level in terms of facilities.

@Changednamesorry you can’t tell me that brits shouldn’t be welcome in Spain and as an example say that they’re not wearing face masks Unlike you when the Spanish government has just made compulsory to wear the masks so you’ve not been wearing the masks for that long neither as a population.

Also, have you seen the video from yesterday in la marina of Valencia ? These are Spanish citizens. They’re the ones that aren’t following the rules. How do I know even if i wasn’t there ? Cuz I’ve friends in Spain around the country (bcn , Madrid , Basque Country , Valencia, Mallorca ) who have been complaining all and all the time how people weren’t following the rules.

Bcn is in fase 1 for a reasons because you’ve had too many cases. Where I’m from they’re already in fase 2. Even my sister (teacher) went to work yesterday as some schools are opening. Where I live in the uk we’re around 600k people. Just 500 positives. I can’t think anywhere in Spain with these values. So from a risk point of view I’m less likely to introduce a virus than many other Spanish cities.

Spain receives every year 80m tourists, out of which 20m are brits. are you really telling me they all get drunk and do ballooning and destroy the country?

Im not minimising what you’ve lived , I know lockdown has been tough. However , saying brits won’t be allowed when in fact they’ve already said they’ll be and no quarantine needed then ... it’s misleading to others specially those who have flights in July

Given the "we still don't know the real damage done to Spanish children" can you not understand why we might not want to do it again because people who didn't have to go through it want a holiday here?

Noone is saying tourists are not generally welcome. Just maybe not in a month's time when we have 150 odd new cases a day now after being shut in for months whilst the UK is still in the thousands of new cases per day having not been shut in much at all. I have a health condition, its frightening for me to imagine the usual packed streets in August (and Barcelona tourism was way out of hand before, several of my friends lost their homes because landlords hiked their rents to way outside their budget to rent illegally on Airbnb, etc etc)

www.google.com/amp/s/elcaso.elnacional.cat/es/sucesos/video-coronavirus-britanicos-saltan-avisos-policia_28551_102_amp.html

There is a link to the video for the person who asked for it.

Honestly its extraordinary the snooty responses. I'd like to see the response from you if literally outside your front door was liable to have crowds of thousands of people from all over on a piss up holiday in a month when you had been in the shutdown we just were.

@Inkpaperstars

Thank you for your understanding.

Changed take up your argument with the Spanish government then instead of tarring all Brits with the same brush.

" can you not understand why we might not want to do it again because people who didn't have to go through it want a holiday here? "

say that to the people that live from the tourism and might need to close their shutters cuz brits aren't welcome . not having money to buy food can also impact kids wellbeing

I have booked a break in Spain for early August so it would be nice. However unless the 14 day quarantine here lifted I can't go.

Its not just about this year. Most Brits are sensible despite the blatant stereotypes many have. Yes qe have a fair few idiots but so do other countries.

Most Brits won't go on a foreign holiday this year - that will be their choice and also the 14 day quarantine when we return if that still stands.

Make us welcome but we don't go in any significant numbers. And we all go happily next year and other years.

Or you could make us feel very unwelcome and treat us differently form other countries like a couple on here want............

@BillieEilish i live in a 40C country and wear a facemask, as we have to. No facemask rashes being complained about on SM, so please strike that particular worry off your list