Britons travelling to Malta and Spain’s Balearic Islands will have to show a negative PCR test or prove they are fully vaccinated in a change coming just days before the holiday destinations will move to the UK’s green travel list.
The addition to the list - which will come into force at 4am on Wednesday, June 30 - means travellers will no longer be required to quarantine for ten days upon re-entering the UK.
However, Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, announced new restrictions today, in light of what he called “the negative evolution” of the virus in the UK, with Malta is also tightening the rules for UK holidaymakers.
READ MORE: Portugal introduces quarantine requirement for UK holidaymakers
Spain had planned initially to let British visitors enter the country without the need for a negative test, but growing case numbers in the UK and clusters in Spain traced back to an end-of-year school trip to Mallorca led to mounting pressure on the government to change the travel advice.
The number of cases per 100,000 people over the past week stands at 123 in the UK currently has 123 cases per 100,000, while in Spain the same figure stands at 46.
“We’ve been seeing a negative evolution of the accumulated incidence in the UK over recent weeks,” Sánchez told Cadena Ser radio.
“We’re going to apply the same requirements for British tourists in the Balearics that we apply to those from the rest of Europe,” the prime minister added.
“They will need to be fully vaccinated or have a negative PCR test to travel to the Balearics. This will take effect in 72 hours so that tour operators and British tourists can adapt to this new rule.”
The new entry requirements will be published in the official state gazette on Tuesday, and come into force three days later and will apply to the whole of Spain, not just the Balearics, which include popular tourist destinations like Ibiza, Menorca and Mallorca.
In the meantime, Malta will ban entry to unvaccinated UK travellers from Wednesday, June 30.
READ MORE: Travel agents demand answers over why sector has been ‘sacrificed’ amid pandemic
Under the new rules, only Britons who have been fully vaccinated for more than 14 days will be able to enter the country.
The Maltese tourism body said children aged 5-11 would be able to visit by showing a negative test carried out a maximum of 72 hours prior to arrival.
Children under five do not need a test, but those aged 12 and over would need proof of vaccination.
The announcements come just after Portugal introduced a 14-day quarantine for UK holidaymakers coming into effect on Monday, June 28.
Madeira, a Portuguese archipelago off the Portuguese coast, is also due to move to the UK’s green list on Wednesday.
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