Britons holidaying in Spain face fines of over £500 with new strict Covid rule
Martin Lewis discusses travel refunds and PCR tests
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Venue owners who fail to put up warning posters could be fined up to €600 (£511). The new rules have been introduced as the wider Valencia region experiences a sixth wave.
The rules are in force for at least 30 days as the region attempts to get the number of Covid cases under control.
British tourists will need to show a paper Covid passport or app passport when going to a hotel or restaurant that caters for more than 50 people.
The rules also apply to leisure and entertainment venues, hospitals and care homes and other venues with a catering service.
Certificates will also be needed at events, celebrations or music festivals where more than 500 people are in attendance.
Face masks are obligatory in Spain and must be worn in enclosed public spaces and outdoor spaces where social distancing can’t be maintained.
To qualify for a Covid certificate, people need to be fully vaccinated, have recently recovered from Covid or taken a negative PCR test in the last 72 hours.
However since December 1, unvaccinated British people have been banned from travelling to Spain in an attempt to protect the country from the Omicron variant.
The laws also apply to children over the age of 12 which has forced many families to cancel their Spanish holidays.
Recently, several Benidorm officials blamed British tourists for rising Covid rates in the resort.
In an attempt to stem the rate of infection, vaccination centres have even been offering jabs to tourists in the Benidorm hotel district.
In November, over 20,000 British tourists took part in the annual Fancy Dress party in Benidorm.
Although the official event had been cancelled due to Covid, thousands of boozy Britons descended on Benidorm to party.
There were 537 new Covid cases registered in the Alicante province on Friday December 3 which is the highest number in more than three months.
However, there are a far higher number of Covid cases in the UK than Spain at the moment according to recent data.
The UK recorded 43,285 cases of Covid on December 5 while Spain recorded a seven day average of 10,778 cases according to JHU data.
British tourists visiting Spain will need to take a PCR test on or before day two after arrival in the UK.
From 4am on December 7, Britons will also need to take a test before departing for the UK.
This can be done up to 48 hours before but the Government recommends people take it as soon as possible to departure.
British tourists are advised to check the UK Government website before travel as rules and restrictions can change quickly.
They should also check the local rules in their destination as regulations can vary in different regions across Spain.
Additional reporting by Rita Sobot.
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