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Spain wants to allow entry to vaccinated British holidaymakers from the first week of June and ahead of the rest of the European Union, the country’s deputy tourism minister has said.
The country is racing to revive its tourism industry and keen “to accept citizens that can present a vaccine certificate”, said Fernando Valdes.
The EU this week agreed it would allow vaccinated non-EU holidaymakers to visit the bloc this summer, but not until later in June.
Valdes said Spain will be ready sooner. He said: “Spain will have the digital certificate ready in June. We hope that [the EU] regulation will be approved on the June 21. But from the first week of June, Spain will be able to validate certificates on its borders and expedite certificates to its citizens.”
The UK Government is scheduled to review its green list in the first week of June, which would be the earliest opportunity to allow quarantine-free travel to Spain for English holidaymakers.
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EasyJet has 90% of fleet ready to fly
EasyJet has said it was poised to ramp up summer flight schedules with an easing of COVID-19 restrictions, but the low-cost airline warned that late announcement of travel rules reduced visibility as it reported a wider half-year loss.
EasyJet expects to operate about 15% of pre-crisis capacity in the current April-June quarter, it said on Thursday, before returning furloughed crews for a much-anticipated summer surge.
“We have the ability to flex up quickly to operate 90% of our current fleet over the peak summer period to match demand,” Chief Executive Johan Lundgren said in the airline’s results statement.
Confusion reigns over amber list holidays
Here is a snippet from our explainer on the confusion surrounding amber list holidays, some of which are set to go ahead despite Government advice to the contrary.
Am I allowed to go on holiday to an amber list country? By law, yes. If the country is accepting entry for leisure purposes, there is no legal barrier to stop you from going on holiday to an amber list country, provided you are happy to quarantine on return.
But Grant Shapps said I shouldn’t go on holiday to an amber list country? That’s right, he did. And the Department for Transport says “you should not travel” to these countries. However, you can. It is guidance and not law.
EU to confirm reopening plans next week
The EU will decide next week on the countries to include on its “green list”, reports Charles Hymas.
Destinations will have to meet a threshold of having infection rates below 75 cases per 100,000. Britain is comfortably within that, but there are EU concerns about the spread of the Indian variant.
Credit:
istock
The EU plan would see member states adopt uniform entry requirements, giving fully-vaccinated holidaymakers from low-risk countries such as the UK unrestricted entry to Spain, France, Italy and other popular destinations.
It would, however, create a system that would see the rest of the bloc accept passengers based on vaccination status while the UK confers no such status on those who have had the jab and instead requires testing or quarantine for all returning holidaymakers.
Five stories to watch out for today
Good morning, here are five stories we will be keeping an eye on today, with the focus being on the ongoing confusion about amber holidays and the EU’s plans to reopen in June.
- Scotland introduces vaccine certification for holidaymakers
- Matt Hancock: ‘The amber list is not for holidays’
- Number of green list countries may be expanded next month, minister suggests
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EU to reopen to vaccinated holidaymakers but Britons could be excluded over Indian variant concern
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America should open to Britons by August, says JetBlue