British holidaymakers will avoid Tenerife’s closure to arrivals – so long as they have a negative Covid test
Tenerife, one of the most popular winter-sun escapes for British holidaymakers, will close to many new arrivals from midnight for two weeks as coronavirus infection rates soar on the island.
But an official statement from the archipelago’s government indicated that tourists who arrive with a negative coronavirus test taken within the past 72 hours will be exempt from the travel ban.
“Exceptionalities" to the general rules are “contemplated” by the authorities.
A spokesperson for Jet2 said: "We are aware of news reports regarding Tenerife closing its borders to holidaymakers. We can assure customers that we have received confirmation from the Canaries government that this is not the case.
“Holidaymakers can still travel to Tenerife to enjoy Christmas and their well-deserved holidays in the sunshine.
“Given this welcome update from the Canaries government, alongside the current FCDO travel advice, we are operating our flights and holidays programmes to Tenerife as normal.”
A spokesperson for Ryanair said: “Ryanair’s international flights to/from Tenerife are operating as scheduled. Passengers are exempt from these travel restrictions.”
Meanwhile, Tui, the biggest holiday company, told The Independent: “We’re aware of the news reports regarding the recent announcement that Tenerife will close its borders from Friday 18 December.
“We are currently working through what this means for our holiday programme and will update customers as soon as we have more information.”
The Independent has also asked British Airways, easyJet and Wizz Air for a response.
As well as the arrivals restrictions, anti-coronavirus measures on the island will be tightened, with the night curfew moved an hour earlier from 11pm to 10pm – except on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, when it will be 12.30am.
The curfew is lifted at 6am each day.
Drinking and dining inside bars and restaurants is not allowed. On outdoor terraces, seating is reduced to 50 per cent. Only households can sit together.
Thousands of people booked winter holidays in Tenerife in late October when the Canary Islands were removed from the UK’s “no-go” list.
The Canaries lost their travel corridor status a week ago, with holidaymakers returning the UK obliged to self-isolate for 10 days. But the Foreign Office is not warning against visiting the islands, and many trips are planned to go ahead as normal.
All arriving holidaymakers must produce a negative coronavirus test result taken within 72 hours of arrival in Spain.
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