Fresh lockdown to hit summer holidays in Spain
Print Edition
Nightclubs, bars and beaches — some of Spain’s most beloved summer venues — are facing new lockdown restrictions after turning into coronavirus hot spots, and some European nations are warning citizens not to visit the country.
The northeast regions of Catalonia and Aragon host the three most worrying virus clusters in Spain, prompting authorities to tighten restrictions in Barcelona, in a rural area around Lleida and in Zaragoza that were relaxed only a month ago when Spain had its devastating outbreak in check.
Britain put Spain back on its unsafe list beginning from Sunday, announcing hours earlier that travelers arriving in the UK from Spain must now quarantine for 14 days.
Tui, the UK’s biggest tour operator, has canceled all flights departing to mainland Spain until August 9, but it has maintained flights and travel packages for trips to Spain’s Balearic and Canary Islands.
Travelers were caught off guard by Britain’s move, even UK Transport Minister Grant Shapps is on holiday in Spain.
Spain reported over 900 new daily infections on Thursday and Friday as authorities warned that the country which lost at least 28,400 lives before getting its outbreak under control could be facing the start of a second major onslaught.
Catalonia ordered all nightlife venues to close for 15 days and applied a midnight curfew on bars in and around Barcelona and Lleida, hours after French Prime Minister Jean Castex urged French citizens not to visit Catalonia due to the uptick in new infections.
“If we see that the growth of contagion is exponential, then the only way to stop it is to limit free movement,” said Catalonia public health chief Josep Maria Argimon.
Tourism employs 2.6 million people in Spain and generates 12 percent of the country’s economy. Spain’s government, unions and industry leaders are heavily invested in promoting the message that Spain is a safe destination for foreigners to salvage the 2020 season.
“The season is practically lost now,” said Martin Sarrate, president of Catalonia’s association of travel agencies.
“This is an important setback. Who is going to travel to a country if you have to go into a 14-day quarantine?”
Lyndsey Thomas, CEO of the travel site Girlabout.co.uk, said recent situation was a body blow to an industry already struggling to emerge from the pandemic.
“I think we were really hopeful that 2020 might just survive ... Spain is the No. 1 destination for Brits going into Europe, going on a fly-and-flop beach holiday. And for this to happen, there’s going to be a major impact.”
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