According to Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, the corona situation in Spain is “not worrying”. However, the virologist Alexandere Kekulé has a slightly different opinion.
Madrid – Federal Foreign Minister Heiko Maas does not currently consider the corona situation in Spain to be a cause for concern, despite the increasing number of infections. “There are no indications of developments that would lead us to fear that we would have to make decisions again in the foreseeable future that would mean that German tourists would no longer be able to go on holiday in Spain,” said Maas on Monday during a visit to the capital, Madrid. The SPD politician is currently not assuming that a reintroduction of the quarantine obligation for returning Spain vacationers is imminent.
Corona in Spain: Incidence of over 100 – six regions classified as risk areas
In Spain, the numbers have increased significantly again for almost two weeks *. The number of new infections per 100,000 inhabitants in seven days is now just over 100 – and thus 20 times as high as in Germany, where the seven-day incidence * on Monday (July 5) was given as 5.0. In the European Union, only Cyprus and Portugal achieve even higher values.
The federal government has classified six out of 17 regions in Spain as risk areas, including the very popular holiday areas of Andalusia with the Costa del Sol and Catalonia with Barcelona and the Costa Brava. On the website of the Foreign Office * it says: “We do not recommend unnecessary tourist trips to the autonomous communities of Andalusia, Cantabria, Catalonia, Navarra, La Rioja, the Basque Country and the exclave of Ceuta.”
Corona: Kekulé criticizes the federal government’s “salami tactics” – and calls for quarantine for those returning to travel
The virologist Alexander Kekulé is not very enthusiastic about the classification of Spain. He calls for a more generous designation of risk areas: “I’m not so happy with this salami tactic, which is now again designating risk areas one by one,” he told the broadcasters RTL and ntv . It is a mistake to declare only designated regions such as Catalonia instead of all of Spain as risk areas.
In addition, it makes sense if returnees from risk areas generally have to remain in quarantine for five days: “When they come back, five days in quarantine and then free – preferably with a PCR test and not with a rapid antigen test,” says the virologist. Kekulé explained that the number of people infected with corona in Germany will rise again due to those who return to travel.
Corona in Spain: Balearic Islands around Mallorca before classification as a risk area?
As a rule, regions with an incidence above 50 are classified as risk areas. The Balearic Islands with Mallorca (94.1) and the Canaries (79.1) could soon fall into this category. However, as a returnee from a risk area, you can free yourself from quarantine with a negative test, vaccination or recovery certificate. There are stricter quarantine rules only when they are classified as a high incidence area (from an incidence of 200) or as a virus variant area.
“The numbers are rising again, but not at first worrying,” said Maas after a conversation with Spanish Foreign Minister Arancha González Laya. The delta variant of the corona virus * is not yet as widespread in Spain as in neighboring Portugal or in Germany. The Spanish government has made it clear that it is ready at any time to take measures against Corona again. “When I look at where we were a few weeks ago, then we are still in an absolutely positive development. We will do everything – and also those responsible here – to keep it that way. ”(As / dpa) * Merkur.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA
Rubriclistenbild: © Screenshot ZDF
