Tourists pass through a police checkpoint

Tourists pass through a police checkpoint as they leave by foot the H10 Costa Adeje Palace hotel, which was placed on lockdown after four cases of the coronavirus were detected there, but others showed no symptom of illness, in Adeje, on the Spanish island of Tenerife. | BORJA SUAREZ

ReutersTenerife02/03/2020 09:15
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Tourists staying at a Tenerife hotel that has been on lockdown after five cases of the coronavirus were detected there are free to leave if they test negative for the virus, regional health authorities said on Sunday.

Hotel guests, now on their sixth day of lockdown, can leave if they do not show symptoms, test negative for the virus less than 24 hours before their flight, and continue their period of isolation in their home country, the Canary Islands' health authorities said.

The fifth case was detected at the hotel on Saturday. The woman, part of the same group as the four original cases at the H10 Costa Adeje Palace Hotel, has been in isolation in a hotel room since Feb. 24.

Reuters TV footage showed a group of British tourists getting off a coach that had taken them from the hotel to the airport on Sunday evening wearing masks.

One man told reporters he was "relieved" to be heading home. He said there had been some communication difficulties between Spanish and UK authorities, but "overall they've been great".

The tourists will have to serve the rest of their 14-day isolation period back in the UK.

European holiday company TUI, which had around 200 customers of different nationalities at the hotel, including 52 from Britain, said guests had received notification from Public Health England that they were free to return home pending a negative test result.