HEALTHPLAN MAGAZINE

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has revealed that Spain is the safest of all EU destinations, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Figures published by ECDC show that a large part of Spain is ‘coloured green’, meaning the country is a safe destination to visit. It also means that over the last two weeks, the ‘green’ regions have less than 50 infected Covid cases per 100,000 residents. Reference also points to the fact that the Covid positivity rate in those regions is no higher than 4 per cent.

All of the following regions of Spain are currently on the ‘green list’:

• Andalusia
• Asturias
• Basque Country
• Cantabria
• Castile and Leon
• Extremadura
• Galicia
• La Rioja

Other regions in Spain are currently ‘coloured orange’, but are still considered safe to travel to as the number of Covid infections are still very low.

It has been reported that the strict travel regulations and in-country safety measures that the Spanish government put in place to help contain the spread of Covid infections, has played a major part in getting the country to the ‘safe place’ it now is.

The Spanish tourist sector is the third major contributor to Spain’s national economic revenue, after the industrial and the business/banking sectors. It contributes roughly 10–11% of Spain's GDP.

So it is understandable that travel to and from the country is being encouraged, especially for visitors who have been fully vaccinated or have recovered from the virus. It is however recommended, that anyone choosing to visit Spain should check the country’s rules of entry, before planning a trip.

Spain also has a list of ‘high-risk’ EU countries and regions, that is updated weekly and is based on their Covid risk factor. At present a large number of EU countries/regions are on that list, they include Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Iceland, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Slovenia, among others.

In an update last week, Spain’s authorities announced that entry rules have been tightened for Czechia, Denmark, Greece and Liechtenstein as well as several other EU regions.

Current rules in Spain mean that anyone visiting the country is required to show a valid EU Digital Covid-19 Pass or the equivalent documentation. They must also show proof of being fully vaccinated (with a vaccine that is recognised by Spain), by producing a vaccination certificate, OR by providing a recovery certificate that states they have recovered from the virus during the last six months.

Vaccines currently recognised by Spain are Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca or Johnson and Johnson, all of which are EMA-approved.

Anyone who is unable to present a vaccination or recovery certificate can provide a negative COVID-19 test result that is taken within 72 hours of entering Spain.

A Health Control Form must also be completed and signed electronically.

As of October 29 2021, the Ministerio de Sanidad figures show that 71,802,968 vaccines have been administered in Spain.

Of those, 37,286,684 residents have been fully vaccinated with two doses and 38,017,638 have received one dose.

The total number of registered Covid-19 cases is 5,011.148 and sadly 87,368 people have lost their lives to the virus.

Source

https://www.schengenvisainfo.com/news/spain-is-now-the-safest-eu-destination-heres-what-you-should-know-before-you-travel-there/
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/travel/travel-news/spain-tagged-as-the-safest-eu-destination-by-ecdc/as87458475.cms