Spain, which has not recorded cases of the omicron variant of the new coronavirus, tightened its controls on entry to travelers from some African countries on Saturday, with the obligation to test negative, as well as the United Kingdom, which will need proof of vaccination.
Today the government has published several regulations limiting entry requirements for people coming from British soil, as well as others considered to be at risk of infection, namely Namibia, Botswana, Swaziland, Lesotho, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, South Africa, and the last, where the strain was discovered. new for the first time.
Those who intend to enter Spain from any of these countries must, as of Saturday, submit a negative result of a test to detect the novel coronavirus, which was taken at least 72 hours before their arrival in the country, regardless of whether they have been vaccinated or not. No.
The change in the requirement justifies the appearance of the omicron variant, which the World Health Organization considers risky, “with a possible increase in transmissibility and a decrease in neutralizing ability,” the Spanish executive noted.
In addition, from next Wednesday, Spain will only allow entry to people from the United Kingdom with the presentation of a certificate of vaccination. Until then, it was only necessary to provide a negative test or prove that he had previously had the infection.
The decision also removes Namibia from the list of countries exempted from the temporary restriction on travel to the European Union, which includes Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Peru and Uruguay, as well as Saudi Arabia, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, South Korea and China. The Arab Emirates, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Jordan, Kuwait, Macau, New Zealand and Taiwan.
A statement issued by the Spanish government notes that “the emergence of new variants of the causative agent of the disease forces in these times to increase travel restrictions.”
In addition, next Tuesday, the executive will assess restrictions on flights from South Africa, where the omicron was first discovered, and from Botswana.
The variant was declared at risk yesterday by the World Health Organization and is of concern due to the large number of mutations in the original strain of the novel coronavirus. EFE
