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Edinburgh Live
Edinburgh Live
World
Claire Galloway

Spanish government on when and how tourists will be able to holiday again

With summer fast approaching, customers may be looking ahead at how coronavirus will impact the holidays they booked before the outbreak.

As the pandemic unfolded around the world, international travel ground to a halt with flights put on hold until further notice.

And it looks set to remain that way for some time after the Foreign Office advised against all non-essential travel "indefinitely" last week.

The news prompted travel companies to reassess their schedules, with the likes of Jet2 advising holiday-makers they will not fly until at least June.

Spain is among the popular European destinations that has been worst affected by COVID-19, where over 17,000 people have died from the deadly virus.

The Spanish Government, who have begun easing strict lockdown measures to revive the economy, has issued a number of updates regarding holidays in the country.

As the spread of COVID-19 continues to slow - with number of infections logged on Sunday the lowest in over three weeks - the Spanish tourism minister, Reyes Maroto, has said the future of holidays in the country are still under discussion.

While heavy industry and construction workers have returned to work, much of the country is still in lockdown and Ms Maroto did not rule out restrictions staying in place once international tourism restarts.

Speaking to Spanish newspaper El Pais, she said: "We have to guarantee, when international tourism opens, that the person who comes to Spain is a safe person...

"The issue of borders will be accompanied by the evolution of the health crisis.

"Therefore, I do not have the solution of when [they will be able to open].

"On how you will be able to enjoy our beaches, we are defining different scenarios.

"It is very important that the sanitary recommendations are maintained, we are going to have to internalise what we are already doing now, hand washing, social distancing ... even on the beaches.

"Those patterns will be in our day to day for a time, you cannot take a step back."

For all of the latest updates on coronavirus in Edinburgh, visit our breaking news live blog here.

Another way to stay updated is by joining our new Edinburgh coronavirus news Facebook group.

For the latest guidance on coronavirus from Health Protection Scotland, click here.

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