Image copyright
EPA
Many Britons have homes in Spain, and it is also popular with tourists.
Tourists say they face job loss or vacation cancellation after new rules mean people returning from Spain must isolate themselves for 14 days.
The Welsh government has removed Spain from the list of quarantine-exempt countries, following a decision by the UK government to do the same.
In response, the UK’s largest tour operator Tui, which flies from Cardiff airport, has canceled all Spanish holidays until 9 August.
A peak of cases follows in Spain.
The Commonwealth and Foreign Affairs Office (FCO) advises against all, except essential, trips to mainland Spain. Quarantine measures apply to those returning from mainland Spain, the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands, such as Mallorca and Ibiza.
So how has it affected tourists?
“I have had to cancel jobs”
Image copyright
Adrian Corbett
Hairdresser Clare Moriarty had already seen her work seriously affected by the pandemic.
Adrian Corbett, 55, from Caerphilly, is staying in a private villa on the outskirts of Valencia with his partner Claire Moriarty, 47, from Cardiff, and their two children.
He is a self-employed plumber while she works in mental health services, in addition to being a part-time hairdresser. They must return to South Wales tomorrow.
“We did not cancel the vacation because Ryanair would not have given us a refund for a flight that was still operating,” Corbett said.
“However, we never would have gone out if we knew that the rules were going to change.”
“I was shocked when I saw the news because it is really going to cause us problems.”
“I had to cancel the reserved jobs for next week and Claire has two jobs that will be affected. She has already had four months without hair clients and now faces two more weeks. Financially this is really going to affect us a lot.”
“The irony is that we have felt safer here than in the UK. We are in a private villa, we have had less contact with people than at home and here, everyone wears masks everywhere.”
Last minute getaway
Image copyright
Sheren Pugh
Sheren Pugh is frustrated by lack of warning about a decision
Sheren Pugh, 32, of Crynant, Neath, and her friend only booked a vacation to Ibiza on Thursday and feel there should be more warnings that there was a change to the rules.
“I’m gutted. I really wanted to go. I was super excited,” she said.
“I live alone, so it was difficult in closing, but it was going to be four days of partying. We were planning to see Craig David on Tuesday, but that’s out of the window now.”
“I had booked the transfers, flights, hotel, there is much to solve. It seems that we have lost a lot of money.”
“I work in a small dental clinic, so it won’t be easy to have two weeks off again with staff. I can’t see me going on vacation this year now.”
‘We are still going’
Image copyright
Rachael Gillespie
“I’m a little anxious but it feels safe,” said Rachael Gillespie.
Rachael Gillespie, 48, of Llandough, Penarth, said she still intends to travel to Quesada, Murcia, Monday morning with her partner and two daughters, despite the warning.
“I am not ignoring the potential risk, but we are staying in a family villa, we have a family car, and both my partner and I are fortunate to be able to work from home when we return,” he said.
“We will also stay away from Catalonia, where the worst of the outbreak appears to be in Spain.”
“I know there is a question about insurance and some people think I am angry, but when you see the crowds in UK destinations like North Wales or the Lake District, where exactly is the safest place to vacation now? ?
Birthday vacations canceled
Image copyright
Neil Payne
Neil Payne had planned to celebrate his 50th birthday with his family on the island of Mallorca.
Neil Payne, from Conwy, and 12 members of his family were due to go to Mallorca, Spain, in late August to celebrate their 50th birthday.
This latest announcement has made a decision after months of disputes over whether to travel or not.
“My partner, Hannah, is a babysitter and can’t afford to go and miss two more weeks of work when we return and then there are the kids and school.”
“My mother and father are in their 70s and have a wedding to go to right after they return, so my mother would be concerned about that.”
“We’ve been anxious thinking ‘no, aren’t we going?’
“We are happier now that we have made the decision to cancel the vacation, but now we have to try to resolve the flights and the insurance company does everything possible not to pay.”
What do the governments of the United Kingdom and Wales say?
The foreign secretary has defended the “quick decision” to require travelers arriving in the UK from Spain to be quarantined for 14 days.
Dominic Raab said he knows it will inconvenience tourists, but the government “cannot apologize.”
Labor’s Jonathan Ashworth called the handling of the movement “chambolic.”
The new coronavirus travel rule was announced on Saturday after an increase in the number of new cases in Spain, with more than 900 reported on Friday.
The Welsh government did the same by removing Spain from the list of countries exempt from the 14-day quarantine rules and has released details on how to isolate itself.
He said it was up to the police to enforce the quarantine.
Health Minister Vaughan Gething said: “I am modifying our international travel regulations with effect from midnight [Saturday] due to the public health risk involved. This will reduce the risk of virus transmission here in Wales.
