'Spain will be waiting for you from July' says prime minister
Spain is planning to reopen its borders to foreign visitors as soon as July 1, but it's still unclear if that means everyone.
The announcement was made during a press conference with Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Saturday morning.
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"As you know, Spain receives more than 80 million visitors a year. I am announcing that from July, Spain will reopen for foreign tourism in conditions of safety," said Prime Minister Sánchez. "Spain needs tourism, and tourism needs safety in both origin and destination. We will guarantee that tourists will not run any risks, nor will they bring any risk to our country."
Those 80 million visitors make up 15% of Spain's GDP.
The conditions of safety that Sánchez speaks of have not been officially outlined yet, but as of May 15, visitors to Spain are required to quarantine for 14 days. Additionally, it's unclear if there will be any restrictions for visitors from certain countries.
As more countries around the world begin to reopen, many are placing restrictions on international visitors or talking about forming "travel bubbles" with nearby countries. Greece, for instance, is planning to reopen for tourism on June 15 though as of now, non-EU citizens will not be permitted.
In terms of coronavirus, Spain was one of the hardest hit countries in the world with more than 28,000 deaths due to COVID-19. After two months of one the world's strictest lockdowns, the country began easing some of its restrictions in early May.
On May 25, the entire country will assess whether it's ready for either Phase 1 or Phase 2 of Spain's de-escalation plan. This means that many Spaniards will finally be able to reunite with friends and family. Starting on June 8, Spain's football league La Liga will finally be able to resume playing.
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