‘Third world conditions’: Britons more ‘at risk’ of catching Covid at Mallorca airport

Balearic business owner ‘disappointed' by update to travel list

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Passengers arriving at Mallorca, Spain, have complained about the precarious conditions at the local airport, where the safety measures are not followed and tourists have to wait for hours in a confined space.

It seems Mallorca airport is still not ready to welcome Britons as pictures of a very crowded terminal building have been shared on social media.

Although the Balearic Islands, which include Mallorca, Menorca and Ibiza, were moved to the amber list earlier this month, Britons continue to arrive at the archipelago.

Holidaying in Mallorca might be easier than ever for many, as from July 19, fully-vaccinated Britons visiting the islands don’t have to quarantine on their return to the UK.

However, the airport has been criticised for making passengers wait in “third-world conditions”, according to the Spanish newspaper Preferente.

Similar images were shared a few weeks ago but arrivals keep complaining that the facilities at the airport are not prepared to welcome visitors.

According to the newspaper, the airport “doesn’t have enough staff to avoid the long queues.”

When tourists arrive at Palma airport, they have to show proof of vaccination or a negative PCR or antigen test.

Passengers were waiting for checks at border control for over one hour today.

“British tourists are welcomed like if this was a third world country,” newspaper Preferente said.

Some holidaymakers shared pictures of a very crowded terminal building earlier today.

“This is what it looks like when you wait for passport control and to show vaccine status when you get to Palma airport,” said a passenger.

“Everybody was queueing in a tiny room, without air conditioning, very hot, not even 4G and waiting for over 40 minutes.”

According to the passenger, many tourists were denied entry as they didn’t have the correct documentation.

He explained: “Passengers are at risk here.

“I bet people are more likely to catch Covid here than the number of people that were denied entry to Mallorca for not carrying the right documents.”

However, and due to the latest rise in COVID-19 cases, Spain is now at high risk of being moved to the UK’s “amber plus” list.

At the moment, it is on the amber list, meaning full-vaccinated Britons don’t have to self-isolate on return.

However, if moved to “amber-plus”, UK tourists will have to self-isolate for 10 even days, even if they have been fully vaccinated.

Due to concerns over the Beta variant, Spain and Greece could move to “amber plus” before the next travel review.
France was the last country to join the newly created “amber plus list”, with the Government citing concerns over the Beta variant.

At the moment, and according to European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) data, the cases of the Beta variant in Spain are five times higher than in France.

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