The Foreign Office announced on Tuesday evening (August 11) that tourist trips to Spain's capital Madrid and the Basque Country are not necessary due to renewed high numbers of infections and local closures. Accordingly, there is an incidence of more than 50 cases per 100,000 inhabitants over seven days.
A warning against traveling to three other Spanish regions has been in effect since the end of July. The ministry initially decided not to reactivate the formal travel warning for the severely affected regions in Spain. This would have enabled vacationers to cancel bookings free of charge. The advising against travel is a kind of warning level under the travel warning.
Barcelona, Costa Brava, Navarre: these regions are affected
Specifically, these are the capital region of Madrid and the Basque Country. The region of Catalonia with the tourist metropolis of Barcelona and the beaches of the Costa Brava and the inland regions of Aragón and Navarra to the west of it are also affected. The Balearic Islands with the popular holiday island Mallorca or the Canary Islands are not affected. According to the Federal Foreign Office, the number of infections there and in the south of the country is still at a low or medium level.
Entry: online form and QR code mandatory, temperature measurement at the destination airport
Before starting the trip, an online form in the "Spain Travel Health Portal" must be completed for health control. Registration can take place at the earliest 48 hours before the intended entry.
You will then receive a QR code that you must show when entering the country by plane. After arriving at the destination airport, the temperature is measured. People with a temperature of over 37.5 degrees Celsius or other abnormalities can be subjected to a more detailed examination.
Restrictions on site: mask requirement and distance rules – exceptions when visiting the beach
Masks are required throughout the country, including Mallorca and the rest of the Balearic Islands. A distance of two meters applies outdoors. Exceptions to the obligation to cover the mouth and nose continue to exist on the beach, at the pool, when eating and drinking as well as during sports. Spanish ports are closed to cruise ships until further notice.
In Barcelona people are encouraged to leave the house only for urgent errands such as shopping or visiting the doctor. Four smaller areas in Castile-León and Murcia are cordoned off due to local outbreaks.
Return to Germany: Affected regions do not count as risk areas
The affected regions are initially not classified as risk areas by the federal government despite the high number of infections. Returnees from such areas have to take a corona test in Germany.
Vacationers should familiarize themselves with the current regulations on re-entry into Germany on the website of the Federal Ministry of the Interior before they start their journey.
Countries like Great Britain or Norway even ordered compulsory quarantine for returnees from Europe's most important holiday destination. An Austrian travel warning for mainland Spain will also come into force on Monday. Anyone who has been there and returns home has to present a negative test or go into home quarantine.
Current situation regarding the corona virus in Spain
Regional President Quim Torra called on people to be extremely careful: "The situation is very critical," he said. You are almost back in a situation like in March. If the numbers continued to rise, more drastic measures would have to be taken. Exit restrictions would then no longer be ruled out.
The Federal Foreign Office only lifted the travel warning for Spain, which was hit particularly hard by the corona pandemic, on June 21, after the government ended a 14-week emergency.
With more than 326,000 proven infections and over 28,600 deaths (as of August 12), Spain is one of the countries worst hit by the pandemic in Europe.