In a coordinated effort to facilitate travel, airport operator Aena will allow COVID-19 testing clinics to set up centers in departure lounges of at least 15 airports across the country.
As of now, passengers flying out from Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas, Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat, Málaga-Costa del Sol, Alicante-Elche, Valencia, Sevilla, Bilbao, Palma de Mallorca, Ibiza, Menorca, Tenerife Sur, Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, César Manrique-Lanzarote and La Palma will be the beneficiaries of this new strategy.
Patients will need to keep in mind that this new service only covers outbound travelers whose destination airports request them to present proof of a COVID-19 test result on arrival.
Inbound travelers are still compelled to bring their negative tests from their points of origin.
Since last November, all passengers older than 6 must have a PCR or TMA for SARS-CoV-2 with a negative result, carried out in the 72 hours prior to arrival in Spain in order to pass the health controls.
The company advises travelers to make online reservations in advance so they will not miss their flights while waiting for the results.
Even if the idea of bringing potential positive patients to mingle with other fellow travelers while waiting for their flights to take off does not sound ideal, it may be necessary since travel restrictions in Europa seem to be here to stay for longer than most may think.
Speaking at a World Tourism Organisation summit, Spain Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez reportedly confirmed that the country will not be accepting massive international tourism until more than 70% of the Spaniards have been vaccinated.
Such a milestone is expected to be reached by the end of summer.
But Spain is not the only country foreseeing this new potential economic downturn. Last week, U.K Prime Minister Boris Johnson failed to guarantee that schools would be opened before the summer holidays.
At the same time Minister Nadhim Zahawi, the U.K. Minister responsible for the Covid-19 vaccination program stated that British travellers should not book their summer holidays just yet.
Both the UK and Spain Prime Ministers affirm to be “optimistic” that things will be very different by the spring or summer. However, that is not exactly what the numbers tell.
How “optimistic” can Spaniards be about the vaccination process and the easing of the restrictions that are supposed to follow?
Last Wednesday, several Spanish officials admitted that the country is running out of coronavirus vaccines.
Deputy head of Madrid’s regional government, Ignacio Aguado, said that his region will need to stop vaccinating new patients for the next couple of weeks so they can ensure that old patients get access to their second doses.
According to Aguado, at the current pace “Spain will be far off its target of vaccinating 70% of the population by the end of summer and will instead reach general immunity in 2023.”