Balearics wanting greater control of national travellers

Opposition party also calling for more control

There are controls for foreign travellers but not for domestic travellers. | Efe

Majorca Daily Bulletin reporterPalma12/11/2020 16:48

On Thursday, the spokesperson for the regional infectious diseases committee, Javier Arranz, stressed that the Balearic government "will not be throwing in the towel" in its attempt to get the Spanish government to understand the importance of being able to control travellers who arrive in the Balearics from the rest of Spain.

Arranz observed that despite the "limited impact" of negative PCR tests at points of origin for foreign tourists, the measure - as announced by the Spanish government on Wednesday - is "welcome". He went on to say that control of the movement of people within Spanish territory needs to be insisted upon. This is "more important" than international mobility, as other countries have their own restrictions and quarantines.

Meanwhile, the leader of the Partido Popular in the Balearics, Biel Company, has demanded that the requirement for foreign travellers to have negative tests be extended to people coming from the rest of Spain. As the Christmas holidays are approaching and relatives and students will be arriving from various parts of the country, Company said on Thursday that there should be tests for national travellers.

While welcoming the government's announcement, Company observed that it had come too late. His party had been asking "since April" for tests on travellers at points of origin as well as for controls at ports and airports in the Balearics. The Balearic government, he believed, had "lost" the peak season by not adopting such measures.