On April 6th, the Spanish government proposed that masks no longer be required in most indoor public settings from Tuesday April 19th 2022, just after the Easter holidays rather than during as had been suggested.
Travel news
For Members
TRAVEL: Will Spain change its Covid restrictions ahead of Easter?
The Local Spain - [email protected]
Published: 22 Mar, 2022 CET.
Updated: Tue 29 Mar 2022 16:05 CET
As Easter week fast approaches, many residents and tourists are eager to know whether Spain's Covid restrictions will be eased or tightened ahead of the holiday period. Here’s what you need to know about the current infections, restrictions and travel rules and whether they’re likely to change.
Easter week, Semana Santa as it is called in Spanish, runs from Sunday April 10th to Sunday 17th in 2022.
For the Spanish tourism industry, this year’s Holy Week could officially mark the return to normal for a sector that’s been gravely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, although war in Ukraine and rising global inflation are proving to be new setbacks.
Nonetheless, after two years of coronavirus dominating the country’s travel and domestic rules, can national and international holidaymakers expect the rules to change before or during the Easter break?
A seventh wave?
After a record-breaking sixth wave which accounted for half of all Covid cases in Spain since the pandemic began (5 out of 10 million), the country’s fortnightly infection rate dropped continuously throughout February and March and has since plateaued at around 450 cases per 100,000 people.
Spain isn’t completely in the clear yet in terms of infections however, as the latest Health Ministry data reveals that the ‘Stealth’ Omicron subvariant is now the dominant strain in Spain.
Whether or not it causes another spike in cases and thus a seventh coronavirus wave is key, as this could potentially affect whether Spain’s Covid restrictions are further eased or tightened.
READ ALSO: ‘Stealth’ Omicron cases rise in Spain: What you should know
Most health experts in Spain remain wary and believe the population shouldn’t drop its guard despite the currently positive epidemiological situation.
They also tend to agree that if there were to be a seventh wave in Spain, this would likely come after Easter and not during, as a result of increased travel during the holiday period.
READ ALSO: What happens when tourists get Covid-19 in Spain?
Face masks and other domestic restrictions
Spanish regions have virtually lifted all previous Covid restrictions such as capacity limits, curfews, limited opening hours, the Covid health pass and bar, restaurant and nightclub closures.
Spain's health authorities have also just announced that from Monday March 28th 2022, people in Spain who test positive for Covid-19 but are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms will no longer be required to quarantine for seven days, something to keep in mind for tourists in Spain, although they won't be able to fly back to their countries if they are still infected with Covid-19.
The one important Covid rule that remains in place is the requirement of face masks in indoor public spaces, which in early March Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez promised would be removed “very soon”.
Unvaccinated non-EU travellers
Travel to Spain by EU citizens and residents has been fairly straightforward throughout 2021 and 2022, but for the vast majority of unvaccinated non-EU/Schengen travellers it’s still not possible to enter Spain.
On March 29th, the Spanish government extended again temporary restrictions for non-essential travel from most third countries for another month until April 30th 2022.
That means that non-EU/Schengen adults who reside outside of the EU and who haven’t been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 or recovered from the illness in the past six months cannot go on holiday to Spain in April.
Therefore, Spain continues to not accept negative Covid-19 tests from British, American, Canadian, South African or other third-country nationals who are neither vaccinated nor recently recovered.
Spanish authorities have recently eased the rules to allow unvaccinated third-country teens in as well as allowing non-EU/Schengen nationals who can show proof of having recovered from Covid-19 in the last six months to also enter.
But the Spanish government has decided to not go one step further and allow all unvaccinated non-EU/Schengen adults to enter the country ahead of Easter.
Other EU nations such as Italy, Belgium and Finland now allow unvaccinated travellers who present a negative Covid-19 test result to enter their countries.
Conclusions
With less than two weeks until Easter in Spain, the chances of Covid-19 infections spiralling and a seventh wave developing ahead of the holidays appears slim.
This, together with the Spanish government’s approach towards treating Covid-19 like an endemic disease similar to seasonal influenza, should guarantee that even if cases were to rise ahead of Semana Santa, domestic Covid rules will not be tightened.
Nonetheless, the indoor face mask rule will be lifted just after Easter rather than during the holiday period as initially suggested.
Due to the drop in tourism caused by the war in Ukraine, some had hoped Spain would keep in mind the economic benefits of easing their rule for unvaccinated third-country nationals ahead of the Easter holidays, but the same rules are in place for them in April.
The government has been willing to bend the rules previously to allow unvaccinated British tourists in, but not this time.
READ ALSO: What are the Covid travel rules for international arrivals in Spain in April?
Comments
See Also
Easter week, Semana Santa as it is called in Spanish, runs from Sunday April 10th to Sunday 17th in 2022.
For the Spanish tourism industry, this year’s Holy Week could officially mark the return to normal for a sector that’s been gravely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, although war in Ukraine and rising global inflation are proving to be new setbacks.
Nonetheless, after two years of coronavirus dominating the country’s travel and domestic rules, can national and international holidaymakers expect the rules to change before or during the Easter break?
A seventh wave?
After a record-breaking sixth wave which accounted for half of all Covid cases in Spain since the pandemic began (5 out of 10 million), the country’s fortnightly infection rate dropped continuously throughout February and March and has since plateaued at around 450 cases per 100,000 people.
Spain isn’t completely in the clear yet in terms of infections however, as the latest Health Ministry data reveals that the ‘Stealth’ Omicron subvariant is now the dominant strain in Spain.
Whether or not it causes another spike in cases and thus a seventh coronavirus wave is key, as this could potentially affect whether Spain’s Covid restrictions are further eased or tightened.
READ ALSO: ‘Stealth’ Omicron cases rise in Spain: What you should know
Most health experts in Spain remain wary and believe the population shouldn’t drop its guard despite the currently positive epidemiological situation.
They also tend to agree that if there were to be a seventh wave in Spain, this would likely come after Easter and not during, as a result of increased travel during the holiday period.
READ ALSO: What happens when tourists get Covid-19 in Spain?
Face masks and other domestic restrictions
Spanish regions have virtually lifted all previous Covid restrictions such as capacity limits, curfews, limited opening hours, the Covid health pass and bar, restaurant and nightclub closures.
Spain's health authorities have also just announced that from Monday March 28th 2022, people in Spain who test positive for Covid-19 but are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms will no longer be required to quarantine for seven days, something to keep in mind for tourists in Spain, although they won't be able to fly back to their countries if they are still infected with Covid-19.
The one important Covid rule that remains in place is the requirement of face masks in indoor public spaces, which in early March Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez promised would be removed “very soon”.
Unvaccinated non-EU travellers
Travel to Spain by EU citizens and residents has been fairly straightforward throughout 2021 and 2022, but for the vast majority of unvaccinated non-EU/Schengen travellers it’s still not possible to enter Spain.
On March 29th, the Spanish government extended again temporary restrictions for non-essential travel from most third countries for another month until April 30th 2022.
That means that non-EU/Schengen adults who reside outside of the EU and who haven’t been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 or recovered from the illness in the past six months cannot go on holiday to Spain in April.
Therefore, Spain continues to not accept negative Covid-19 tests from British, American, Canadian, South African or other third-country nationals who are neither vaccinated nor recently recovered.
Spanish authorities have recently eased the rules to allow unvaccinated third-country teens in as well as allowing non-EU/Schengen nationals who can show proof of having recovered from Covid-19 in the last six months to also enter.
But the Spanish government has decided to not go one step further and allow all unvaccinated non-EU/Schengen adults to enter the country ahead of Easter.
Other EU nations such as Italy, Belgium and Finland now allow unvaccinated travellers who present a negative Covid-19 test result to enter their countries.
Conclusions
With less than two weeks until Easter in Spain, the chances of Covid-19 infections spiralling and a seventh wave developing ahead of the holidays appears slim.
This, together with the Spanish government’s approach towards treating Covid-19 like an endemic disease similar to seasonal influenza, should guarantee that even if cases were to rise ahead of Semana Santa, domestic Covid rules will not be tightened.
Nonetheless, the indoor face mask rule will be lifted just after Easter rather than during the holiday period as initially suggested.
Due to the drop in tourism caused by the war in Ukraine, some had hoped Spain would keep in mind the economic benefits of easing their rule for unvaccinated third-country nationals ahead of the Easter holidays, but the same rules are in place for them in April.
The government has been willing to bend the rules previously to allow unvaccinated British tourists in, but not this time.
READ ALSO: What are the Covid travel rules for international arrivals in Spain in April?
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.