Spain allows Britons entry without 14-day quarantine alongside ‘the rest of the EU, Schengen’

The Spanish government has lifted its requirement that Britons arriving in the country spend 14 days in quarantine, as of Sunday. The move was not reciprocated by London, however.

The decision to relax the restrictions was announced on Saturday by Spanish Foreign Minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya. Instead, the rules that apply to EU members of the Schengen zone from June 21 now also govern the arrival of British citizens.

The minister said the decision was taken “out of respect” to some 400,000 Britons who have second homes in the South European nation. “We do hope that [the British authorities] will be sensitive to the 250,000 Spaniards that are also living in the UK and would very much like to enter the UK without quarantine,” she added, referring to the fact that the lifting of restrictions would be unilateral.

Britain may review the rules for people arriving from Spain on June 29, according to the British media. Talks on similar quarantine exemptions are underway with 11 other nations, including Greece, Portugal and France.

People arriving in Spain from Britain will still have to pass a triple check. They will be visually inspected by medics and their temperatures will be checked at the airport. They will also be required to file their contact information for contact tracing. “We want to make sure that we welcome visitors, but we want to do this in safety and security for them, as well as for the Spaniards,” the minister said.

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