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TRAVEL: Germany puts Spain and Netherlands on Covid ‘high incidence’ list

The German government has declared Spain and the Netherlands high incidence areas this Friday, meaning that most travellers will face new rules and restrictions when returning from both countries.

TRAVEL: Germany puts Spain and Netherlands on Covid 'high incidence' list
Holidaymakers enjoy the sunshine on S'Arenal beach in Mallorca on July 21st. Locals fear new travel restrictions could strike a blow to the tourist economy. Photo: picture alliance/dpa/ZUMA Press Wire | John-Patrick Morarescu

The move by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), effective on Tuesday, comes as Europe’s top economy tries to slow new cases in the face of the rapid spread of the highly contagious Delta variant at the height of the summer tourism season.

If an area is classified by the RKI as a ‘high incidence area’, anyone who hasn’t been fully vaccinated or has not recovered from Covid within the last six months has to quarantine for 10 days when returning  to Germany. The self-isolation period can only be shortened after five days with a negative test.

READ ALSO: TRAVEL: Germany to impose stricter quarantine and border checks for summer

The RKI said in a statement that Georgia was now also immediately listed among the high-incidence countries, those with new infection rates of 200 or more per 100,000 people in the past seven days, reported AFP. 

The rules are thought to particularly impact younger holidaymakers, many of whom have not yet been vaccinated. But even fully vaccinated parents could get into trouble if their children were made to quarantine for at least five days after returning from their trip abroad instead of attending school.

‘Another blow to tourism’

Spain’s tourism industry had hoped for a much stronger business recovery this summer because of rising rates of vaccination across Europe – but now there are fears that increased restrictions could drive German visitors away. 

READ ALSO: Why (and where) Germans are choosing to go on holiday by car this year

“This decision will mainly affect Mallorca and the rest of the Balearic Islands,” wrote local Mallorcan newspaper Última Hora on Friday. Regional daily Diario de Mallorca, meanwhile, described the reports of Spain’s change in status as “yet another blow to tourism”. 

In normal times, tourism contributes more than 12 percent to the Spanish gross domestic product (GDP). On the Balearic Islands, which include Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera, and on the Canary Islands, it accounts for 35 percent of the economy and provides thousands of jobs.

Exploding infection rates in Spain and the Netherlands

Since the end of June, Covid numbers have skyrocketed practically everywhere in Spain. On July 11th, in light of spiralling infection rates, the German government moved Spain onto its ‘basic risk’ list, meaning travellers had to register on their re-entry into Germany after a trip.

READ ALSO: Germany declares whole of Spain a Covid ‘risk area’

Now – less than two weeks later – the country has one of the highest rates of infection in all of Europe. 

Around 475,000 new infections have been counted within the past month, while the 7-day incidence of infections per 100,000 people rose from 42 in June to 333 on Friday.

This puts the country well above the 200 mark at which Germany can declare a country to be a high-incidence area. In Mallorca alone, the incidence recently reached a peak of 365.

Meanwhile, in the Netherlands, the 7-day incidence is currently over 400, while in Amsterdam, the incidence soared beyond 700 over the past few weeks. The country was put on the ‘risk list’ just a week ago, on July 16th.

READ ALSO: Germany declares Greece and the Netherlands Covid ‘risk’ zones

Experts credit the Netherland’s hasty reopening of public life and the infectiousness of the Delta variant for the skyrocketing figures. For the past week, the country has consistently recorded more than 9,000 new infections per day.  

READ ALSO:

The consistently high numbers in both countries have led many to question why the Netherlands and Spain weren’t put on the high-incidence list sooner. According to the RKI website, however, exceeding the 200 mark means that a country will be more closely observed by health experts – rather than automatically put on the ‘high incidence’ list.  

“The decisive factor for the quantitative assessment are actual and stable trends in the infection process, not snapshots,” a spokesperson from the Foreign Office told RND.

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TRAVEL NEWS

Which flights will be affected by Spain’s airport strikes over Easter?

If you've got a flight booked to or from Valencia or Madrid-Barajas airport over Easter, industrial action by staff could delay your journey or even lead to it being cancelled.

Which flights will be affected by Spain's airport strikes over Easter?

Airport staff in Valencia and Madrid are going on strike over key Easter dates, meaning that as many as a thousand flights could be delayed or cancelled during one of the busiest travel periods of the year.

Semana Santa celebrations have already been disrupted by rain this year, causing the cancellation of processions across the country, but travel during the busy Easter period is also set to be affected by strike action at two of Spain’s major airports.

At Valencia Manises airport, one of the busiest airports in Spain which welcomed almost 10 million passengers in 2023, flights could be affected over the entire Easter weekend (Thursday March 28th-Monday April 1st inclusive) because workers will walk out between 11am-13am on each day.

At Madrid-Barajas airport, the UGT union has called a strike for Wednesday 27th and Friday 29th March between 7am-12pm.

READ ALSO: Spain’s Valencia set for airport strike over Easter holidays

The walkout at Valencia begins today, March 28th. According to the live departures board provided by Aena, Spain’s national airport operator, which you can follow here, as of 9.30am flights are leaving the airport with minor delays of up to 40 minutes, though this is before the strike officially begins at 11am.

Aena live departures for Madrid-Barajas show that some flights have left with delays of up to 45 minutes this morning, though it is worth noting that staff are not officially on strike there today (walkouts in Madrid are Wednesday 27th and Friday 29th March between 7am-12pm) which could suggest a knock-on effect from yesterday’s strike action.

The industrial action comes during not only during Easter celebrations but operación salida, an intensely busy travel period during which millions of Spaniards travel home or go on holiday for Semana Santa.

READ ALSO: Strike action at Spanish airports set to disrupt Easter travel

Staff at Madrid-Barajas are striking for better pay and a new collective bargaining agreement, arguing their salaries have declined in real terms due to inflation, and employees at Valencia Manises are protesting against long working hours and a lack of staff, plus a dispute with regards to overtime pay.

Spanish media reports suggest that up to 1000 flights could be cancelled as a result of the walkouts. On Wednesday 27th, there was also ‘chaos’ at Palma de Mallorca airport, according to Spanish media, with long queues at security controls meaning it took many passengers an hour to get to their departure gate.

Which flights will be affected by Spain’s airport strikes over Easter?

Knowing exactly which flights could be affected, however, isn’t entirely clear. There seems to be certain airlines and routes more likely to be affected than others.

Madrid-Barajas

It is still unclear exactly which flights could be affected at Madrid-Barajas, so it is advisable to check with your airline. You can check the airport schedule on the Aena website here.

On Wednesday 27th March, the day the strike began in Madrid, both short and long-haul flights were delayed or cancelled.

Departure records from Flight Stats show that long-haul flights to the United States were cancelled throughout the day, and short-haul flights around Europe and to other Spanish cities were running with delays of up to 2 hours. Many also arrived on schedule, however.

Valencia Manises

As the strike action begins in Valencia on Thursday morning, reports suggest that several dozen flights could be cancelled, delayed or rescheduled. If you are uncertain about your flight, check with your airline.

On Thursday 28th, flights that could be affected by the stoppage include:

  • Ryanair flights connecting Valencia with Rome, Milan Bologna, Breslavia and Sofia 
  • United and Lufthansa flights connecting Valencia with Frankfurt and Munich
  • Easyjet and British Airways flights between Valencia and London
  • Turkish Airlines flights between Valencia and Istanbul
  • Air Europa flights between Valencia and Palma de Mallorca
  • Swiss flights connecting Valencia to Zurich
  • Volotea flights between Valencia and A Coruña
  • Eurowings’ Valencia-Stuttgart flights

On Friday 29th, flights that could be cancelled are:

  • Ryanair to Milan, Treviso, Trieste, Dublin, Marrakech and Palma de Mallorca
  • SAP and Tap Portugal flights between Valencia and Lisbon
  • United to Frankfurt
  • Lufthansa to Frankfurt, Munich
  • Austrian to Vienna
  • Air Nostrum to Ibiza
  • Delta to París Charles de Gaulle
  • Air France to París Charles de Gaulle
  • Air Europa to Palma de Mallorca
  • Easyjet to London
  • British Airways to London
  • Brussels Airlines to Brussels
  • Iberia to Tenerife North
  • Tap Portugal to Lisbon
  • Turkish Airlines to Istanbul
  • Swiss to Zúrich
  • Volotea to A Coruña, San Sebastián
  • Vueling to Tenerife North
  • Eurowings to Stuttgart

There is no further information yet about which flights could be affected on Saturday 30th, Sunday 31st and Monday April 1st.

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