Spain opens borders to tourists vaccinated against COVID-19
Holidaymakers got a double shot in the arm Monday as those with proof of vaccination from outside the European Union can begin traveling to Spain, where they can join visitors from the bloc who have proven themselves COVID-19 safe.
In addition, Spain's ports reopened for cruise ships.
The move opened borders for the first vacationers from the United States and other countries outside of the European Union that had been banned since March last year, when pandemic lockdowns hit global travel.
Matthew Eisenberg, a 22-year-old student, stepped out of Madrid airport's arrivals lounge with excitement, ready to enjoy the Spanish capital along with two more American friends.
"We came to Spain the first day we could because we are very excited to travel here,” Eisenberg said, showing the certificate for the two Moderna jabs he received in February and March.
The official certificates need to show that visitors were vaccinated at least 14 days before the trip or that they overcame a COVID-19 infection in the past six months, according to a Spanish government order published Saturday.
The certificates can be in Spanish, English, French or German – or their equivalent translations in Spanish, the order said. The vaccines accepted are those approved by Europe’s drug regulator – Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson – as well as two Chinese vaccines authorized by the World Health Organization, Sinopharm and Sinovac.
The same documents will be valid for visitors from the European Union until the bloc gets together its Digital Green Certificate that some have dubbed a "vaccine passport" for travel.
Non-vaccinated travelers from the EU's 27 countries can also enter Spain now with a negative result from a recent antigen test, which is cheaper and faster than PCR tests for coronavirus disease.
But Spain is still banning nonessential travelers from Brazil, India and South Africa where virus variants have been been a major source of concern.
(c) Daily Sabah
News.Az
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