UK Foreign Office confirms new rules for summer travel to Spain

Spain has announced a new rule change for holidaymakers visiting the country in the ongoing summer.

In what would be great news for tourists, Spain has removed all remaining Covid-19 regulations on foreign visitors, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) informed UK travellers in a press release.

Spain's latest rules

The FCDO has confirmed that travellers heading to Spain this summer will no longer need to wear face masks in pharmacies and health and care centres. Spain has been lifting Covid-19 rules gradually. At first, Spain announced it was not mandatory to wear masks in public, followed by removing the requirement to wear them on public transport.

"The Spanish government has declared an end to the health crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and has lifted all compulsory requirements to wear face coverings," FCDO wrote in the release.

The FCDO has confirmed there are no Covid-19 testing or vaccination requirements for travellers entering Spain. But it has also urged people to be alert for any last-minute change as countries may restrict travel or bring in new rules at short notice.

"Check with your travel company or airline for changes. If you test positive for Covid-19, you may need to stay where you are until you test negative. You may also need to seek treatment there. Make sure you can access money and you understand what your insurance will cover," added FCDO in the release.

A traveller need not isolate even if they test Covid positive

If a traveller shows symptoms or tests positive for Covid during a stay in Spain, they will no longer be required to self-isolate, according to Chronicle Live. Since 2020 Spain has registered 14 million cases and 122,000 deaths from the coronavirus disease.

Spain is among the popular destinations for people in the UK, receiving an estimated 16.5 million UK visitors last year alone. The British travellers mostly flock to Spain's coastal regions. However, tourists are being warned of extreme temperatures coming their way in Spain this summer.

UK travellers have been cautioned of a "Level 1 heat alert" across Spain as temperatures can go as high as 42°C. The first sizzling heatwave of the summer is expected to strike popular resort towns such as Benidorm, and the islands of Mallorca, Menorca and Ibiza, according to Spain's meteorological agency AEMET.

This Saturday, temperatures are expected to reach between 38°C and 40°C, but the scorching heat wave will continue to increase in the following days. AEMET is expecting that by Tuesday, temperatures will touch a peak of 42°C, which will feel even hotter due to the high humidity. The areas that will take the maximum hit will be the Balearic Islands - Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza, Formentera and Cabrera.

The heat has already been getting worse in Spain after the country registered its hottest spring on record and also its second driest. Since Spain is experiencing a drought, it is affecting agricultural production. It is understood that the drought has not only increased the price of olive oil but could also lead to a reduction in the production of Iberian ham.

Meanwhile, tourists from the UK travelling to Spain have another disappointing news if they are flying by Ryanair. The low-cost airline has banned passengers from carrying alcohol onboard flights from the UK to several vacation hot spots in Spain.

The new ban on alcohol, bought at duty free or anywhere else, in the cabin baggage has been introduced on flights to some of Spain's party destinations such as Ibiza, Alicante, Barcelona, Malaga, Palma and Tenerife South.

This latest rule has come in place to avoid any more anti-social behaviour on board Ryanair. Earlier this year in April, around 15 passengers were removed from a flight from Manchester due to drunken behaviour, causing a delay of five hours. The people removed from the said flight were believed to be a hen party. They were extremely loud and unnecessarily disturbed other passengers.

The flight was forced to return to the ground as the crew asked for police assistance to remove them from the plane.