Coronavirus in Spain: how are the measures for those traveling from countries at risk

Spain will impose the obligation of a PCR test negative 72 hours before arrival for all travelers from countries at risk of coronavirus. This was announced on Wednesday by the Ministry of Health after its head, Salvador Illa, communicated it to the regional advisers of the Interterritorial Council of the National Health System. The measure will come into force on November 23.

In the case of European countries and the Schengen area, the risk map drawn up by the European Center for Disease Control (ECDC) will be followed. According to the latest report from this organization, all these countries are at maximum risk, with the exception of Norway, Finland and Greece, which would a priori be the only ones exempt from taking the test. For third parties, the reference will be the basic incidence accumulated per 100,000 inhabitants in 14 days (which must exceed 150 cases per 100,000 inhabitants). According to ECDC data, these rates are exceeded by the United States, Colombia, Panama, Belize, Costa Rica, Argentina, Morocco, Tunisia, Libya, Syria, Iran, Russia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. It is possible that for travelers from other countries with fewer incidents but a very low detection capacity the test is also compulsory, whose cumulative incidence data will be supplemented by the installed capacities.

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In the health control form that all passengers must complete before entering the country by port or airport, they will have to answer the question from November 23 if they have a negative PCR done within 72 hours of arrival. in Spain. Authorities They can ask the passenger to accredit the result of the test. The document must be the original, written in Spanish or English and can be submitted in paper or electronic format, as indicated by Health.

The Canary Islands, the autonomous community least affected by the virus, have already launched an initiative for tourists arriving on the island to undergo tests before arriving. He approved the measure on October 29 and it will come into force on November 14. It establishes that without a negative test carried out with a maximum of 72 hours in advance, tourists will not be admitted to a hotel, apartment or vacation home. In this case, it affects both nationals and foreigners.

The usefulness of this measure is in any case disputed. As Pedro Gullón, member of the Spanish Society of Epidemiology explains, you avoid contagion during the flight, but “no one can guarantee that this person does not incubate the virus and does not spread it to destination”. This is a way to limit the arrival of asymptomatic patients, but it is not a guarantee that prevents the pathogen from entering the country. “It would be more useful if, in addition to the negative PCR, you imposed a 10-day quarantine at the destination,” says Gullón. This is what the Asian countries which have best controlled the epidemic are doing: original testing and mandatory quarantine.

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According to Minister Illa, the possibility of quarantine was appreciated in conversations with European partners, but it was ruled out and it was decided to limit it to the negative test. It is also not envisaged to require it from people arriving by land, nor is it on the table that other communities imitate the Canary Islands and require it from other travelers from Spain. to stay in hotels or tourist residences.

During the Spanish summer, it was decided to allow the entry of tourists without proof so as not to harm the sector. Tourism Minister Reyes Maroto had already announced in September that testing third countries was a precaution that was being assessed at European level and that she, along with her counterparts, would transfer to the Commission. At the end of this month, nine member states – Austria, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Portugal, led by Spain – signed a joint declaration to demand uniform measures in the movement of people across the EU already its entry, but without explicitly mentioning PCR testing. Later, on October 13, the European Council issued the recommendation on which the now announced measure is based. Illa recalled that, in all cases, only 0.08% of detected cases are imported from other countries.