Germany classifies Spain as a risk area.
The reason is the high corona numbers.
The Germans' favorite holiday destination reacts quite calmly.
But that could change quickly.
Berlin / Madrid - In Spain, the decision by the federal government to classify the whole country as a risk area from Sunday did not cause particularly high waves.
The media coverage was limited, the government criticized the fixation on the level of new infections and representatives of the tourism industry exercised their optimism.
In Barcelona there was even a music festival with up to 18,000 spectators every day for three days.
With test and mask compulsory, but without distance.
The number of new infections per 100,000 inhabitants recently climbed to 199 within seven days. That is about 35 times as high as it is in Germany at the moment.
If this seven-day incidence exceeds the 200 mark over a longer period of time, Berlin could also declare the most popular holiday destination for Germans to be a high-incidence area.
Then many returnees face quarantine - and severe damage to the already battered Spanish tourism industry.
But nobody wants to imagine that yet.
Spain's Minister of Tourism María Reyes Maroto also raised the question of whether orientation based on the number of infections was still the right way to go.
The incidence as a measure of risk is becoming less important in view of the high vaccination rate and the low number of corona patients in hospitals, the minister said.
Spain is ahead of Germany in terms of the number of fully vaccinated and the death rate is lower.
The high numbers of infections are registered primarily in young people who either developed no or only mild symptoms of the disease.
The authorities are closely monitoring the situation.
Holidays in Spain are definitely safe.
The head of the Balearic Islands regional government, Francina Armengol, also referred to the good progress of the vaccination campaign. “We have to learn to live with the disease. It is the moment to think about other things than just the incidence, ”she said. German vacationers on Mallorca also emphasized that they felt at least as safe on vacation there as at home in Germany.
The German Travel Association (DRV), which represents the tour operator, also reacted calmly. “For air travelers, the classification of Spain as a simple risk area will in fact not change anything. Travelers can continue their vacation as planned, ”said DRV spokeswoman Kerstin Heinen of the German press agency. She appealed to all travelers to adhere to hygiene and distance rules even during their vacation. "This makes responsible mobility possible even in times of Corona."
The President of the Association of Hotel Managers in the Balearic Islands (AEDH), Alicia Reina, made a similar statement. From their point of view, it would be really bad if Germany declared Spain and the Balearic Islands a high incidence area. Cyprus shows how quickly such an upgrade can come. The country was only declared a risk area last Sunday. Just a few days later, it became one of four high-incidence areas in Europe alongside Portugal, Great Britain and Russia. dpa
