The statistics that show why Spain's islands should be quarantine-free

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The FCO shocked the travel industry on Saturday when it reinstated quarantine requirements on anyone arriving from Spain, disrupting the plans of tens of thousands of holidaymakers.

The Government changed its advice and warned against all but essential travel to mainland Spain, initially with the exception of the Canary and Balearic islands. Which makes sense, given their low infection rates. But the FCO changed its advice again on July 27, and the warning now covers the whole of Spain.

Mainland Spain has ideed seen a steep rise in cases of later. But why tourists are still being required to self-isolate for 14 days upon their return from these islands when their infection rates are so much better than ours makes little sense to many anguished travellers, not to mention the industry at large. On the flipside, this does mean holidaymakers who wish to cancel their trips to the islands will find it easier to get refunds.

Officials in both the Canaries and the Balearics are in talks with the UK, urging the government to drop the quarantine restrictions and create safe ‘air corridors’ based on regional data. But for now, the FCO’s new rules put Spain’s islands in the same boat as Portugal’s (the Azores and Madeira); having low infection rates but still with the requirement for visitors to self-isolate on their return.

In reference to this, the Portuguese ambassador wrote in an article for The Telegraph, “I must confess it is hard to understand why.”

Madeira, in particular, has one of the lowest infection rates across the whole of Europe. It has only recorded 105 total cases thus far. The Azores has registered 160. In the Spanish islands, the total number of cases is higher; the Canaries have registered 2,307 and the Balaerics 2,024. This still pales in comparison to the UK, which has so far clocked up more than 299,000 cases.

Taking into account population sizes, Madeira has recorded 39 total cases per 100,000 residents; the Azores 42; the Canaries 107, and the Balearics 181.

The UK has registered 440 per 100,000 - that’s then more than 11 times higher than in Madeira. English holidaymakers thus present a far, far greater risk for locals in these Mediterreanean islands than they do to us.

Looking at some of the other countries Britons can still visit without quarantining upon their return, Italy has recorded a total number of 407 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants. Again, that rate is 9.6 times higher than in the Azores, and more than double that of the Balearics.

France’s rate, meanwhile, is twice as high as that of the Canary Islands. Greece has fared relatively well throughout the pandemic, with a rate of 40 cases per 100,000 residents, which puts it just about in line with the Portuguese islands. Still, you can travel to Greece free of restrictions but not the Azores.

In terms of recent increases in Spain, there have been 53 new cases of Covid-19 reported in the Balearic islands in the past seven days; and 95 in the Canaries. In England alone, there have been 4,274 new cases over the same week.

With the whole of Spain now off the quarantine-exempt list, there are concerns Germany and France could soon join it. The Telegraph's recent analysis reveals most countries on the Government’s list of “safe” holiday destinations have, like Spain, seen Covid-19 incidence rates rise sharply in the past week.

France’s rate has jumped 50 per cent in a week from six to nine cases per 100,000 of the population, with 1,130 new cases on Saturday, double the previous week’s rate.

Germany, Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, Poland, Gibraltar, Italy, Monaco and Australia also saw incidence rates rise in the past week, to post-lockdown peaks. Two countries - the Bahamas and Luxembourg - have risen to higher rates per 100,000 than Spain. Luxembourg remains on the UK's “safe” to visit list.

Spain’s foreign minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya insisted yesterday: “Spain is safe, it is safe for Spaniards, it is safe for tourists.” But Dominic Raab defended the government’s decision to re-issue the blanket quarantine requirements on the country, describing the change as “inconvenient” but “necessary” to contain the spread of the virus.

Has your holiday to Spain been cancelled? Our consumer expert Nick Trend has advice.

Or perhaps you’re still planning on going ahead, in which case let us know your plans via our Twitter poll:

Lastly, do you think this latest U-turn is absurd or are you relieved the government is erring on the side of caution. Let us know in the comment box below.