Dr. Javier Arranz, spokesperson for the regional infectious diseases committee, said on Wednesday that ports and airports in the Balearics would be closed before there was an order for home confinement of the population.
Confinement was not something being considered, "because the incidence is one of the lowest in Spain". "We are an archipelago and there are other measures which could be taken before this, such as closing ports and airports. Measures under way are paying off, albeit slowly. I do not believe that home confinement is an option at the moment."
Specifically asked about possible closure of ports and airports over the early December holiday period and at Christmas, Arranz acknowledged that this has been considered but that, for now, it hasn't been felt to be necessary.
If most regions on the mainland had not closed their borders to inter-regional travel, he suggested that ports and airports would probably have to be closed in order to prevent infected people arriving in the Balearics. Nevertheless, he acknowledged that infected people have been arriving. "There have been cases of people who have come from Madrid and who have tested positive." This, he argued, was a greater source of contagion than migrants on boats or "the few tourists" who are coming to the Balearics.
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Finally, yes people arriving in the Balearic Islands from areas with high levels of contagion are more likely to be carrying covid. It’s common sense. Their nationality doesn’t matter. Covid doesn’t care. But that doesn’t mean you need to close the airports. Safe corridors? Testing? Stopping incoming flights from high contagion areas (yes, including Spain). Have we learned nothing in this horrific year? Time to put what we have learned to positive use. Finally??
Domestic tourists from the mainland were never subjected to the same requirements as foreign tourists were over the summer. It’s what drove numbers up and caused the UK and Germany to ban travel here. Everyone was saying this but the authorities did nothing, and still are doing nothing. They will really need to get their act together for next year or we can expect much of the same.
It is really shameful that the Balearic government is not requiring arriving passengers to show a negative PCR test like most other countries. If people coming by plane and boat test negative 48h before traveling there is a lot less chance to transmit the virus. This is so simple to apply as a requirement for travel. Most travelers from the Balearic to rest of the world must have negative PCR. Accepting passengers without pcr test put everyone else at risk. Time to act now Mrs armengol