Spain to end COVID-19 state of emergency
Spain’s national COVID-19 state of emergency will end today.
While restrictions have been in place since October 2020, the state of emergency which included strict curfews for citizens and businesses has been in place since mid-March 2021. The end of the state of emergency will reduce these curfews and allow businesses to slowly reopen.
Expect Madrid to initially prioritize reinvigorating Spain’s tourist industry. Tourism constitutes 11% of the country’s GDP and employs 2 million Spaniards. COVID-19’s damper on tourism has harmed Spain’s economy and jeopardized the income of many, but the government hopes lessening restrictions will prompt a tourist influx during the normally busy summer.
In late April, the Secretary of State for Tourism announced tourists with proof of vaccination would be able to enter the country beginning in June. While it is possible that cases will increase again as the country begins to reopen, this is unlikely. As of today, over 28% of the population has received at least one vaccine dose, with almost 15% having been fully vaccinated. Expect the tourism industry to pick up substantially once the measures take effect since over half of tourists come from the EU and UK where vaccination rates are high.
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