British holidaymakers arriving in Spain are set to dodge quarantine from next week as Beta Covid variant cases fall in tourist hotspots, it is reported.
Ministers are said to have seen data revealing the Balearics, as well as a part of the south coast from Seville to Malaga, are free from Beta variant cases.
The Beta variant, which originated in South Africa, is concentrated in one North West region of the country, The Daily Telegraph reports.
Beta variant cases there have fallen below 10 per cent as the Delta variant takes over.
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Overall, Beta cases have plummeted from 9 to 2.9 per cent of all Covid cases in the country.
Spain's cases have also dropped from 27,000 a day to 25,000 in the past week after the government brought in "soft" restrictions - including vaccine and test passports to nightclubs as well as curfews.
It comes amid fears that the amber-list country would move to the UK Government's amber-plus list like France with a case rate of 700 per 100,000.
Fully-jabbed Brits do not need to quarantine upon return from amber list countries but those are not must isolate for 10 days.
Brits who have received both doses of a vaccine must quarantine when they return from an amber plus country, with France being the only one on that list.
Cases in Spain have increased seven-fold since June and Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab refused to rule out the move to amber plus.
However, ministers are said to believe the latest data coming from Spain's Centre for Health Emergencies and Gridpoint Consulting should prevent amber plus.
They may also be able to avoid putting the country on the amber "watchlist" - meaning it can flip at any point.
Paul Charles, the chief executive of travel consultancy The PC Agency, told The Telegraph: "Government strategy has clearly shifted towards a more economically driven approach, and that means we'll see more countries added to the green and amber lists next week.
"Spain's infection and positivity rates are starting to flatline and decline, so it should avoid being placed on the 'amber plus' list."
When asked whether Spain would be put on the amber-plus list, Mr Raab said: "You'll know next week at the latest. You have to judge it on the basis of the traffic light system we have got in place right now.
"We can't give cast-iron guarantees on what the next review will decide. If we didn't it wouldn't be a very meaningful review system."
Cases in Spain may be falling but ministers are also said to be concerned about the number of positive cases of holidaymakers returning to the UK from Spain.
The number of people returning from Spain and testing positive for Covid has trebled in a month, according to new figures.
Latest NHS Test and Trace statistics reveal that more than 70,000 people flew into England from Spain over the first three weeks of July and 2,065 of them tested positive.
It represents a rate of 2.9 per cent, compared with just 0.9 per cent throughout June.
Mail Online recently reported that Whitehall insiders say there are considerations about putting Spain into the more strict category.
Holidaymakers are expecting an announcement on the travel list soon as hundreds are prepared to book last-minute flights.
