Mobility restrictions in Spain will be lifted on June 21
The mobility restrictions in Spain will be lifted on June 21, regardless of the lockdown easing phase each health region or province is in by that day.
On Sunday, President Pedro Sánchez said that if the congress passed one last extension to the state of alarm, this would be the case.
As for international tourists, the Spanish government had said the obligatory 14-day quarantine for anyone arriving in Spain would be lifted from July 1.
International tourism to restart from June 22
Yet, on Wednesday evening, sources of Spain's tourism ministry said that tourists will progressively begin to be able to go to Spain from June 22.
That day will be the first one of a "gradual reopening," which will see "those tourists coming from areas with the same epidemiological situation" accepted.
Sources in Spain's foreign ministry also reminded that the obligatory quarantine was originally expected to last until the end of the state of alarm.
The lift on the restriction on June 22 does not include the land borders so far, while it has not been revealed whether visitors from outside the EU will be allowed from June 15, when the ban on them ends.
The tourism minister said in congress that "safe routes," especially to the Canary and Balearic Islands, may be created before July 1, the first date announced by Sánchez.
Last de-escalation stages managed by regional governments
The Spanish lower chamber approved the sixth prolongation of exceptionality measures to last until June 21, and during the debate before lawmakers on Wednesday, Sánchez confirmed it would be the "last" extension.
He also explained that, while the lockdown easing phases 1 and 2 will still be led by Spain, Phase 3 will be managed by regional governments, meaning that it will be up to each regional president to decide on lifting mobility restrictions before June 21 in areas already in Phase 3.
Thus the Catalan cabinet will also be able to decide when Phase 3 ends in each of the country’s health regions, that is, when the 4-phase de-escalation lockdown is over and the so-called “new normality” begins.
Indeed, Pedro Sánchez said on Wednesday that his executive will pass a decree-law next Tuesday on the health measures that will come into force when the state of alarm is lifted.
“It has to allow us to recover our habits [of before the health crisis] with safety,” he explained.
Germany to lift tourism restrictions following Spain's decision
Germany will lift its traveling restrictions to Spain once the latter begins accepting tourists again. While the German government has set June 15 as the date when traveling to EU countries will no longer be discouraged, Spain and Norway remain an exception.
According to the IDESCAT research center, 1,433,000 German tourists visited Catalonia in 2019 - the fourth largest group by country, after France, the United Kingdom, and the USA.
