Coronavirus: Germany defends decision to declare Spain COVID-19 ‘risk area’

Germany’s health minister has defended the decision to declare all of mainland Spain and the Balearic Islands “risk areas” for coronavirus infection.

Travelers must undergo compulsory testing and two-week quarantine after arriving from there.

Health Minister Jens Spahn told Bild on Saturday that he knows “how much Germans love Spain as a vacation destination. But the numbers there are rising quickly, too quickly.”

The travel classification also includes the Spanish island of Mallorca, a popular destination for German tourists.

Germany is providing free testing for coronavirus at airports and those who test negative can avoid quarantining for the full 14 days.

Dozens of passengers from various countries queue at the Centogene test center for a Covid-19 test at the airport in Frankfurt, Germany on July 24, 2020. (AP)

The Robert Koch Institute says Spain’s Canary Islands weren’t deemed a risk area.

That designation now covers most non-EU countries, including the US, and several regions within the 27-nation bloc.

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