The Diplomat
The Council of Ministers yesterday agreed to extend travel restrictions from the United Kingdom, Brazil and South Africa as part of the exceptional measures to limit the spread and spread of COVID-19.
The Council of Ministers has therefore extended the agreements of 22 December 2020 and 2 February 2021, which establish, respectively, the limitations on direct flights and passenger ships between the United Kingdom and Spanish airports and ports and on flights between the Federative Republic of Brazil and the Republic of South Africa and Spanish airports.
In the case of the United Kingdom, only flights or disembarkation of passenger vessels to Spain that are occupied by Spanish or Andorran citizens, as well as residents of both countries, will be allowed. The measure will come into force from 18:00 on February 16 (peninsular time) until 18:00 on March 30, 2021 (peninsular time) and establishes some exceptions to these limitations. It also empowers the Ministry of Health to lift the limitation, authorizing occasional flights of aircraft or entry of ships for justified reasons.
From the Federative Republic of Brazil and the Republic of South Africa, flights to Spain may only be made by Spanish or Andorran citizens, as well as residents of both countries or passengers in international transit to a non-Schengen country with a stopover of less than 24 hours without leaving the transit zone of the Spanish airport. The extension of the restrictions on flights from Brazil and South Africa will come into force from 18:00 hours on March 16, 2021 (peninsular time) until 18:00 hours on March 30, 2021 (peninsular time).
The agreement is part of “the Government’s determined action to protect the health and safety of citizens, contain the progression of the disease and strengthen the health and social and healthcare systems, and in line with the recommendations in the field of European coordination”, the Government stated. They are also in line with the objective set by the World Health Organization’s Emergency Committee and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control to interrupt the spread of the virus.
