Spain and Italy will not drop Covid travel restrictions before Easter

Even as dozens of European countries drop all Covid-related travel restrictions, and Spain and Italy have confirmed theirs will continue for at least a month.

In Spain, the extension till 30 April - confirmed last Monday - means unvaccinated and partly vaccinated Britons still cannot visit the most popular European country for UK holidaymakers, except for “essential” reasons.

Unvaccinated children aged 12-17 remain able to visit with a negative PCR test result when accompanying vaccinated adults, while those who have recovered within the past six months can show a valid proof of recovery letter to enter.

Double vaccinated travellers who had their second jab within the past 270 days may enter Spain with proof of vaccination, and all arrivals must complete a passenger locator form.

On the ground, Spain still demands masks worn in indoor public spaces and on public transport including taxis.

Spain’s secretary of state for tourism, Fernando Valdes, said he was confident the industry would recover from the drop in tourists caused by the Omicron variant during winter.

Many travellers and industry professionals had hoped Spain might ease its restrictions in time for the popular Easter holidays.

However, inbound tourism to the country appears to have bounced back, with data from ForwardKeys showing that the country’s Easter bookings are at around 90 per cent of 2019 levels.

Meanwhile, Italy’s health minister Roberto Speranza signed an ordinance effectively extending the country’s present Covid measures until at least 30 April.

It means the country is keeping its “Vaccinated, recovered, tested” rule for entry - you must show proof of one of those to get in - as well as its passenger locator form. Face masks remain indoors and on public transport.

Ministers say they will review the rules before the expiry date at the end of April.

“The end of the state of emergency does not mean that the virus is gone or that the pandemic is over,” Mr Speranza told Italian TV chat show Che Tempo Che Fa last Sunday.

“Compared to other countries we have chosen a more gradual approach.

“It is a new phase. It would be foolish to think we could manage the pandemic in the same way as a year ago”.

However, it will still lift some of its Covid rules on the ground this month, following the end of the country’s State of Emergency on Thursday. Vaccine passports (its “super green pass) are expected to be dropped for entry to large events and certain venues in the coming days.

Iceland, Norway and Denmark are just a few of the countries that have scrapped all Covid-related travel rules in recent weeks a bid to attract visitors.