Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Wales Online
Wales Online
World
Kate Lally & Stephen Pitts

Spain changes Covid travel rules again amid surging cases in China

The Spanish government has changed its passenger requirements for Covid-19 for anyone arriving from China, and is looking to do the same "at a European level". Earlier this year, health bosses dropped a number of its coronavirus restrictions in a bid to boost tourism again.

The Liverpool Echo says that as of May fully-vaccinated travellers could enter the country without taking a test. Previously, those who were not fully-vaccinated were not allowed to visit Spain but in May the rules changed so that this group of people would instead have to show a negative test on arrival.

However, health minister Carolina Darias told reporters on Friday that Spain would require all air passengers coming from China to have negative Covid-19 tests or proof of vaccination. She did not specify when the new requirement will take effect. Spain made the announcement after Italy said it would require coronavirus tests for airline passengers from China.

Health officials from the 27-member European Union have promised to continue talks on seeking a common approach but held back from imposing restrictions. Ms Darias said: "There exists a shared concern internationally and nationally over the evolution of cases in China and the difficulty to make a correct evaluation of the Covid-19 situation given the scant information that we have available."

She added that China would be lifting travel restrictions from January 8 and there was likely to be a major increase in people travelling abroad. She said the chief concern was the possible emergence of new coronavirus variants and it was important to act fast.

The United States announced new Covid-19 testing requirements on Wednesday for travellers from China, joining some Asian nations that had imposed restrictions. Japan on Friday started requiring tests for passengers arriving from China.

For stories from where you live, visit InYourArea.

Find recommendations for eating out, attractions and events near you here on our sister website 2Chill

Find recommendations for dog owners and more doggy stories on our sister site Teamdogs

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.