Coronavirus: Best practices for safe air travel
Dr. Sachin Nagrani, the Medical Director of Healing, gives advice on how to reduce the risks of flying during the coronavirus pandemic. He explains why personal behavior is critical to staying safe, as well as the best strategies to keep social distance at the gate, through boarding and on an airplane.
The German government has labeled the entire mainland of Spain as a “risk area” for coronavirus infections, and is critical.
The ban also covers certain islands, such as the Balearic Islands and Mallorca – a popular travel destination for German tourists – but excludes the Canary Islands in particular. Tourists returning from those areas will be required to support a quarantine for two weeks, but the government will provide free tests at airports so that those who test negative can avoid the quarantine requirements.
Sunbathers enjoying the beach in Pollença, on the Balearic island of Mallorca, Spain, on Tuesday 28 July 2020. The UK Government’s recommendation against all but essential travel to all of Spain means that all travelers entering that country in Britain arriving must undergo a 14-day quarantine. (AP Photo / Joan Mateu)
Some 30,000 German tourists are currently in Spanish territories, including Menorca and Ibiza, according to DW News. Of those 30,000 tourists, about 90% are likely to be in Mallorca alone, according to the German Association of Travel Agents (DRV).
TOURIST ATTRACTIONS AND CITIES BRACE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF HALLOWEEN CANCEL
The statement initially addressed only the popular holiday destinations, but on Friday the government responded to the rising rate of infection in Spain and extended the designation “risk area” to the whole country.
Tourists and locals ride a tram on Monday 27 July 2020 in the town of Sóller on the Balearic island of Mallorca, Spain. Britain has put Spain back on its insecure list and announced on Saturday that travelers arriving in Spain from the UK will now have to travel for 14 days. (AP Photo / Joan Mateu)
German health minister Jens Spahn defended the decision, saying it “represented a clear statement: If you are returning from a holiday in Spain, you should be quarantined as long as you do not have a negative test result,” he told the Bild newspaper on Sunday.
“And anyone who goes to Spain despite the warning must protect themselves and others when they are on holiday,” Spahn added. “A holiday would be irresponsible during the pandemic.”
German travel agents will presumably cancel all holiday plans for the duration of the appointment, and offer refunds to travelers who no longer wish to travel.
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The designation “risk area” of Germany now covers most non-EU countries, including the United States, and several regions within the 27-nation bloc.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
