Spain to compile list of 'safe origin countries' for non-European travellers

Travellers from Europe will be allowed to visit Spain from this coming Sunday, June 21, although the frontier with Portugal is not set to open again for a further 10 days, on July 1, along with the rest of the world.

This is because of a sudden spike in Covid-19 cases in the neighbouring country, but which Spain hopes will shortly be under control, given that Portugal had not been among the worst-hit nations in Europe and had even started reopening its beaches weeks before Spain was able to do so.

For non-European nations, a complete plan including three criteria – as yet not specified, but which will relate to their national Covid-19 incidence and testing – will be drawn up, and 'safe' origins listed where tourists will be allowed to travel to Spain from, or where they can fly from subject to greater restrictions.

Some countries are still refusing entry to people from Spain – although these are gradually opening up, with Greece announcing Athens airport would now allow planes from Italy, Spain and The Netherlands to land – and Spanish president Pedro Sánchez says the situation is likely to be reciprocal: People from those which allow travellers from Spain to enter will also be able to cross into Spanish territory.

Sánchez has also called for countries beyond Europe to accept – when they eventually open their borders – travellers from anywhere within the EU, not just specific member States.

It is not clear whether the list of 'safe countries outside Europe' refers to those beyond the continent, or whether it will also cover European nations which are not part of the EU, such as Albania, Turkey and Serbia, and if the latter, whether the UK will be mentioned as it is still midway through the transition period to full departure after having 'officially' left the Union at the end of January.

The president says that whilst the epidemiological situation in Europe is 'frankly, going very well', this is not the case with, for example, many countries in the Americas, and Russia.

This means restrictions on travel from Russia could be included, even though it is technically considered a 'European' nation – western Russia, including the capital, Moscow, and the former capital, Saint Petersburg, are 'European', although the eastern part, or Siberia, is normally classified as being in Asia.

Before the weekend, the European Union said it was going to leave it to member States to agree amongst them on a 'closed but periodically-reviewable' list of non-risk or low-risk third countries, and 'trusted they would be capable of doing so'.

The nations that figure on the list will need to be approved by all 27 leaders, since once a traveller from anywhere in the world is on EU soil, he or she is able to travel freely to any member State during their stay.

As well as epidemiological data – which the European Commission admits will be difficult to guarantee the accuracy of in all countries – the criteria for the list will include how well destination countries will be able to contain the virus if a suspected imported case is detected.