The Spanish Government has revealed that the country will consider lifting the entry restrictions on non-essential travel from European countries while extending the existing restrictions on entry to Spain from countries where COVID-19 variants have widely spread.  

The new order, which follows the one that expired on April 19, will be effective until May 3, 2021, but the measures may be extended again if the spread of the virus is not contained in the highly affected countries until then.  

The decision to extend the restrictions for another two weeks was taken following the recommendation of the EU Council, modifying the original proposal concerning the temporary travel ban to the EU.  

The new proposal established that all persons entering Spain from a third country with a high risk of the virus’ new variants, such as Brazil and South Africa, are required to self-isolate and follow the sanitary measures, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.  

Based on a press release issued by the Spanish Ministry of Health, the new measures establish that all persons who fly from any airport located in Brazil, South Africa, Union of Comoros, Botswana, Kenya, Ghana, Mozambique, Zambia, Tanzania, Peru, Zimbabwe, and Colombia to any airport in Spain, with or without making any stops in other countries, must self-isolate for ten days.