Everyone who travels to Spain, whether Spanish citizens or not, will now have to spend 14 days in quarantine on arrival to minimize the risk of propagating coronavirus. Ironically, this protective measure has been brought in precisely because the situation of the pandemic within Spain is "improving".
The quarantine measure has been decreed in an order from the Spanish health ministry published this Tuesday in the official state gazette (link in Spanish), and thus brings Spain into line with similar measures adopted by other European countries. The measure will be applicable from May 15th onwards, and will be extended as long as the country's special emergency status, the state of alarm, is in force. At present, that's until May 24th, but the Spanish government's intention is to seek further fortnightly extensions.
The ministerial order provides that all travellers arriving from abroad will have to spend two weeks in quarantine as soon as they arrive, either at home or in rented accommodation. They will only be permitted to go outside to buy food, pharmaceuticals and essential goods, as well as to see a doctor or for reasons of force majeure. All journeys will have to be carried out in accordance with the coronavirus rules on personal protection, including the wearing of masks and maintenance of safety distances.
Exemptions
Cross-border workers, transport drivers and crew, as well as healthcare professionals who are travelling in order to work, are exempted from all of these measures, as long as they have not been in contact with anyone diagnosed with Covid-19.
Up till now, quarantines had only been applied to exceptional authorizations for repatriations of Spanish citizens and residents returning to Spain from Italy. However, due to the "favourable evolution of the epidemiological situation" in Spain and the start of the country's de-escalation of lockdown, it has now been considered necessary to generalize the quarantine measures for those arriving from abroad.
Information for travellers
Travel agencies, tour operators and transport operators are obliged to inform passengers of these measures at the start of any process of purchasing tickets to travel to Spain.
In the case of air travel, airlines must provide a Passenger Locator Form, a standard public health form to enable passengers to be located, which each traveller arriving in Spain has to fill out and hand over to border authorities.
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