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Spain will eliminate health controls at airports for travelers from all countries

2022-09-19T10:45:49.707Z


The measure, which will take effect shortly, will allow tourists from countries outside the EU not to pass any filter


Tourists from States outside the European Union (EU) and Schengen associated countries will no longer have to undergo health controls upon arrival in Spain, either by air or sea, as EL PAÍS has learned from related sources. with border control.

The measure, which will take effect in October or early November, will eliminate health controls for covid at the first point of entry for travelers (ports and airports), which until now included, at least, taking the temperature, a documentary inspection and a visual check on their physical condition.

These temperature and health status controls are currently only in force for third countries outside the Schengen area, since since June 2 they were eliminated for travelers from EU countries, who could enter Spain without carrying out any inspection or present any document (test or vaccination certificate).

A number of third countries (Bahrain, Chile, Colombia, Indonesia, Kuwait, New Zealand, Peru, Qatar, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay and China) were also excluded from the controls.

Now the measure will be extended to all states, including travelers arriving from the United States, Latin America, Africa or Asia.

The first step to eliminate the controls was taken last week by the Ministry of the Interior, which issued an order, published in the Official State Gazette (BOE) on September 15, by which the previous regime was modified, allowing the entry into the country to travelers who were provided with a vaccination certificate against covid-19 or a recovery certificate or a negative diagnosis certificate for said disease (PCR, antigen test, etc.).

In other words, the requirement to have a vaccination certificate recognized by the EU is eliminated, and it is enough to show a negative test.

In the coming days, the Ministry of Health will publish a regulation that develops this order, specifying the documents that citizens who come from these third countries must present.

A spokeswoman for the ministry told this newspaper that we will have to wait for the publication in the BOE to know the details of the rule.

However, the aforementioned sources indicated that physical controls (temperature and health status) will be completely eliminated and that the documents will be kept to a minimum: it will suffice to have a negative test or a certificate of recovery from the disease that can be presented at the origin of the trip, instead of being contrasted at the destination by Spanish personnel as has been the case up to now.

In practice, all the controls that to date have been carried out in ports and airports by external personnel (yellow vests or white coats) on travelers will disappear, regardless of the country of origin.

Relaxation of measures

The Government, through the Ministries of the Interior and Health, has been relaxing the health control measures in accordance with the evolution of the incidence of the pandemic.

On August 1, it eliminated the mandatory application of all health measures linked to the coronavirus at Spanish airports, such as the use of masks, taking temperatures or the distance in queues for controls.

In fact, the measure had already been implemented by Aena last May following the instructions of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). ).

However, the mandatory use of masks inside aircraft is maintained, as well as in other modes of collective transport (trains, buses and subways).

Spain is, along with Germany, the only EU country to require airline passengers to wear a mask on board, against the recommendations of Europe's infectious disease specialists.

Conflict over the cost of the measures

Control measures at airports not only have a health aspect, they have also led to a financial conflict, to determine who is responsible for the expenses caused by them.

For the time being, Aena has been in charge of assuming them, including the hiring of external personnel to carry out these tasks.

But the airport manager has already warned that he will charge these costs to the airlines within the rates he charges them for the use of the facilities.

The companies, through their employers, the Association of Air Lines (ALA), reject this measure and have demanded that the State assume all the expenses caused by the implementation of sanitary controls at airports, as it is a completely outside of your responsibility.

The Aena rates corresponding to the current financial year that came into force on March 1 affect the airlines a cost of 138 million, incurred by Aena in 2020 and in the first nine months of 2021, to adapt the airports to health requirements and outsource the control of passengers against the virus.

To apply this invoice to the airlines, the airport manager adheres to Royal Decree Law 2/2021, of June 9, on urgent prevention, containment and coordination measures to deal with the health crisis caused by the covid that allows Aena recover operating and health costs due to the pandemic as far as the government subsidy does not go.

The invoice will be increased by the costs incurred since October of last year until those controls disappear.

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Source: elparis

All business articles on 2022-09-19

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