Thousands of Brits flying out to the Spanish sun are unlikely to feel as free as a bird if the Canary Islands impose a nightly curfew on Tenerife.
Holiday companies and airlines have reported that bookings have accelerated in response to the UK Government’s announcement that vaccinated adults and unvaccinated under 18s won’t have to self-quarantine when they return home from amber countries such as Spain.
However, The Canary Islands want to introduce night curfews to dampen down the rise of coronavirus infections among unvaccinated youngsters visiting Tenerife, which has the highest coronavirus incidence.
The last curfew was imposed across Spain when the country declared a state of emergency. This expired May thanks to declining daily deaths as the most vulnerable groups, such as elderly people and those with pre-existing conditions, have been vaccinated. The virus though is back on the move.
Around Spain, Covid-19 cases have been surging since mid-June, in response to increased socialising among younger people. The Delta variant is the culprit.
If the Supreme Court authorises the measure called from by The Canaries’ regional government, the curfew will last from 12.30 am to 6 am on the island of Tenerife, which has the highest coronavirus incidence.
Regional leader Angel Victor Torres supported the move saying
“Pressure on hospitals is starting to grow.
“In Tenerife, ICU occupation is at around 15 per cent and young people are being admitted to intensive care.”
Covid-19 cases have been surging across Spain since last month, and hospital admissions of young unvaccinated travellers have grown.
From July 19 unvaccinated under-18s will be exempt from quarantine when returning to England from an amber list destination such as Spain, France and Portugal.
In the meantime, Germany has tagged Spain as a high-risk area and France has warned its citizens from visiting. However, Spanish Tourism Minister Reyes Maroto defended Spain as safe.