Happy news for holidaymakers as Spain announces it will ditch Covid masks on April 20
- Mandatory facemasks indoors will be scrapped in Spain on Wednesday, April 20
- The rule change was announced this week but will come after Easter weekend
- Holidaymakers will still need to wear face coverings when using public transport
Spain has announced that it is scrapping Covid masks this month in a boon for British holidaymakers this summer.
At a press conference held at the Palacio de Fuensalida in Toledo, Spanish Health Minister Carolina Darias said that face coverings would no longer be compulsory when accessing indoor places from Wednesday, April 20.
The relaxation means all people in Spain including travellers will be able to enter bars, cafes, restaurants, theatres, museums and shopping centres without being required to wear a face mask.
Facemasks in indoor public places will be scrapped from Wednesday, April 20, announced Spain’s health minister
But the restriction will remain in place on public transport and in hospitals and care homes.
The easing has prompted a mixed response, with regions including Catalonia and Madrid frustrated that it has come after Easter while others like Andalusia say the change is coming too soon.
It comes a week after the nation’s tourist board incorrectly stated that unvaccinated British holidaymakers could visit Spain if they tested negative for Covid-19 within 72 hours of arrival. This only applies to ages 12 to 17, and was later clarified.
The erroneous announcement was labelled a ‘miscommunication’ which arose from a ‘misinterpretation of the rules’ laid out in a Spanish health department bulletin.
This week, deputy director of the Spanish tourist board in the UK Pedro Medina said in a statement: ‘We apologise unreservedly for the miscommunication … which was due to a misunderstanding of the new entry requirements.’
The tourist office also said: ‘If more than 270 days have passed since the final dose, certification of a booster vaccination is also required, except for teenagers aged 12 to 17 inclusive.’
But the mishap left many Brits out of pocket, as they booked flights to Spain after hearing the false announcement.
Some spent more than £900 on flights, The Sun reported.
It is one of the few countries in Europe to place an expiration date on vaccinations, and means that holidaymakers can only visit if they were fully vaccinated within the last 270 days.
Spain ended mandatory outdoor mask use in early February, but many have been choosing to wear them in crowds.
UK travellers aged 12 and above are still required to show proof of being fully vaccinated – or a certificate of recovery obtained than 180 days from the date of travel – to get into the country.
Travellers looking to gain entry to Spain via a certificate of recovery must have a document obtained from ‘the official authorities’ in connection with a test ‘carried out by qualified personnel’.
This means that a self-testing kit is not valid, and travellers aiming to show proof of recovery must have a certificate from a test administered by an EU-approved list of providers.
The only exception to this rule applies to those aged 12-17, who are able to get into the country unvaccinated provided they have proof of a negative, approved PCR test taken within 72 hours of arrival.
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