British holidaymakers will be banned from travelling to Spain unless they have had both coronavirus vaccines or a negative ‘Gold Standard’ PCR test.
Spanish PM Pedro Sanchez made the shock announcement today, with the new rules set to come into force in the next 72 hours.
It comes just days after the UK government announced it was putting the Balearic Islands on the green list - and hours after Portugal said it would only let in fully-vaccinated Brit tourists from today, the Mirror Online reports.
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Pedro Sanchez said the UK’s Covid figures were “worrying” because the accumulated 14-day rate was “well above 150 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.”
Spain opened up to British tourists at the end of May despite France and Germany unveiling tougher rules.
At the time Spanish Mr Sanchez extended his own personal invite to holidaymakers from the UK by announcing in English they could return with no Covid tests or vaccine requirements.
Spain’s Foreign Minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya appeared to confirm last Thursday the country would snub Angela Merkel, who had been pushing to impose an EU-wide quarantine on British tourists, by saying holidaymakers from the UK would continue to be let into the country without having to quarantine.
She said at a press conference with her Panamanian counterpart Erika Mouynes after their meeting in Madrid: “At the moment we are maintaining the measures which enable British citizens to enter our territory.”
The new Spanish rules will begin to be applied in the next 72 hours.
The Balearic Islands, which include Majorca, Ibiza and Menorca, move to green on Wednesday.
Island politicians had been urging the Spanish government to push for more tests “in origin” before UK tourists are allowed in, but nothing had been announced till today.
