Eduardo González
The ambassador of the United Kingdom in Madrid, Hugh Elliott, assured yesterday that the desire of his government is that British tourists “can return as soon as possible” to Spain, but warned that this situation should be “handled with prudence and caution” due to the increase of cases of the Delta variant of COVID-19 in the two countries.
“Within the confusion” generated by the pandemic, “there has been and continues to be a great deal of communication between the two administrations at all levels” to share information, improve decision-making and communicate to citizens “the different measures adopted by the two administrations,” explained the ambassador during a colloquium organized by Executive Forum with the collaboration of the company Babcock.
These contacts, he continued, include his own meetings with the Spanish tourism sector, to which it has been necessary to explain the changing decisions of the British Government on mobility depending on the evolution of the pandemic in the two countries. “I understand that this situation is frustrating, especially for the tourism sector, because it has to live with uncertainty”, he explained. “Last year we opened and then closed, and that is something that was not very well understood”, he acknowledged. For this reason, between the two countries there is “a great deal of respect” when it comes to assessing how the other party manages the pandemic and mutual mobility, “because it is understood that it is complicated and many decisions have to be made”.
At the present time, according to Elliott, “Spain is a safe tourist destination, of course, but with nuances”. “We are seeing that in Spain and the United Kingdom the Delta variant is increasing and COVID-19 is still a serious disease that can kill and have long-term health consequences”, he recalled. Therefore, “it is still a situation that needs to be handled with prudence and caution”, he warned.
In these circumstances, although Spain remains on the so-called Amber List of the traffic light adopted by the United Kingdom to regulate international mobility, “from next Monday, and depending on the evolution of the vaccines in each country, the double vaccinated will be able to enter the United Kingdom without quarantine”. This measure will be extended “to the doubly vaccinated residents in Spain and other countries”, because “the United Kingdom is also a safe destination”. “We will try that our tourists can return as soon as possible, because tourists are eager to return to Spain”, he said.
With respect to the vaccination campaign, the ambassador praised the “fantastic work” of scientists and companies that have managed to develop vaccines massively in record time and insisted, apart from the “political aspects” (in reference to the controversy between the EU and the UK-based company AstraZeneca), on the importance of avoiding “restrictions” and achieving “fluid supply chains not only for Europe”, but also for developing countries, since “global vaccination is still the unfinished business”.
The ambassador also made a reference to the nearly 400,000 British residents in our country, whose situation was “complicated” during the pandemic, as for “all Spaniards”, but “they have always been very well cared for” because “Spain is a very welcoming and hospitable country”.
