Spain Reopening to All Vaccinated Travelers June 7

Spain will officially reopen on June 7 to all people who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19—regardless of country of origin. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez made the announcement on Friday at the FITUR International Tourism Fair in Madrid, according to Reuters.

In April, plans from Spain were to implement a digital health certificate pilot in May for domestic / European Union travel, with the intentions of expanding the program for international visitors in June. No specific date had been set at that time.

The news Friday also follows days after the E.U. agreed to reopen its borders to all vaccinated travelers, as well as those coming from a “safe” country, as far as it relates to COVID-19. The accepted vaccines will include Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, Oxford/AstraZeneca and Sinopharm. As part of the agreement, member states would still have the ability to implement their own regulations, meaning some could require a negative PCR test in advance of travel or a quarantine upon arrival.

Speaking at FITUR, Prime Minister Sanchez said that the return of tourism will be a key driver in the country’s economic recovery. In fact, according to the Reuters report, he believes international tourist arrivals could reach up to 70 percent of pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2021. Numbers for the summer could be in the 30 to 40 percent range, compared to 2019 levels.

He added that, from Monday, May 24, Spain will allow tourists from non-E.U. countries with low COVID infection risks to enter without proof of a negative PCR test. According to Reuters, the U.K., Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Israel are on the list. There’s no word as to whether the United States will be on the list.

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