The obligation to have a two-week quarantine after entry has only existed since May 15. "As we regain freedom, border measures can be changed," said Foreign Minister Arancha González Laya.
She denied that Spain had made this decision due to pressure from the tourism industry or due to the possible anger of other EU countries about the unilaterally declared quarantine obligation.
Reopening of the beaches Mallorca without large crowds
Mallorca is splashing again in the sea: after a forced closure of more than two months due to the corona pandemic, the holiday island and many other regions of Spain reopened their beaches on Monday. With nice bathing weather and temperatures around 25 degrees, Playa de Palma not far from the "Ballermann" party mile and in other areas of Mallorca initially only a few, exclusively local guests came to the beach, as the media reported. The reason: until the end of the exit plan at the end of June, the Spaniards are not allowed to leave their respective province. And the Corona hotspot wants to let tourists from abroad back into the country only in July.
The reopening of the Playas only for locals is the first test for the summer. The municipalities may adopt special rules for visiting the beach. The basic requirements of Corona, such as a safety distance of at least two meters between towels and parasols, must be observed everywhere. In addition, groups may consist of a maximum of 15 people.
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Most coastal communities did not initially take any special security measures. That was also true for the Mallorca capital, Palma. Mayor José Hila said he trusted the citizens. But he also warned that if there were violations or other problems, "other measures" would be taken. "But it would be very sad if we had to pay fines to bathers," he emphasized.
The reopening of the beaches was only permitted to those regions that met the requirements to enter "Phase 2" of the Spanish exit plan. In addition to the Balearic Islands and the Canaries, this also included coastal regions such as Tarragona in the northeast, Murcia and Almería in the southeast, Cadiz in the south or the Basque Country and Galicia in the north of the country. Almost half of the country, around 22 out of a total of 47 million citizens, started "Phase 2" on Monday.
In this third of a total of four stages – there was also a "Phase 0" – swimming pools, cinemas and theaters and the interior areas of bars and restaurants can also be reopened in addition to the beaches. However, there are restrictions on the number of guests. The inhabitants of coastal provinces and other regions who are not so far in the fight against the virus, such as Barcelona and Madrid, meanwhile only came to "Phase 1" on Monday.