First German tourists arrive in Spain’s Balearic Islands with no fear of coronavirus: ‘I feel very safe’

A total of 189 passengers arrived in Mallorca on Monday as part of a tourism pilot program aimed at testing coronavirus safety measures ahead of June 21, when Spain will reopen its borders with all European Union and Schengen-area countries.

Tourists must fill out a form with information about any coronavirus symptoms they might have, and their contact address during their stay in Spain. They will also have their temperature taken to check whether they have a fever.

Spain invites regions to reopen to foreign tourists before July 1.

The Spanish health minister says that regional authorities are welcome to launch pilot schemes to reactivate the tourism industry, which has been devastated by the coronavirus crisis.

This plan was confirmed on Monday when the government gave the green light to a pilot tourism scheme that will see 10,900 visitors from Germany arrive in the Balearic Islands from June 15.

While Germany, France and Belgium have said that they will lift travel restrictions on Monday, Spain is still preventing full mobility between its own regions. This situation is due to end by June 22, when the state of alarm declared to fight the Covid-19 epidemic expires.

Spain announces it will reopen borders to EU states, including the UK, on June 21

Travelers from countries outside Schengen will be permitted to enter from July 1, providing there is a reciprocal agreement on travel and taking into account the epidemiological situation in the country of origin.

The exception will be Portugal, which will have to wait until July 1 on the request of the Portuguese government. Spain’s King Felipe VI and the president of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, will hold a ceremony on that day to reopen the Spain-Portugal border.

Government sources confirmed on Sunday evening that despite having left the bloc earlier this year, the United Kingdom is still considered an EU member state given that it is in a transition period and enjoys full membership rights. This means that UK travelers will also be able to enter Spain from June 21. Speaking to UK daily The Telegraph, a government source warned, however, that “this does not mean that there may not be another change if the epidemiological situation in Britain requires this.”