Denmark opens way for summer trips to holiday islands
Denmark has opened up for self-isolation-free travel to a long list of European holiday islands, with the Balearics, Canary Islands, Azores, Madeira and Malta all classed as "yellow" in the updated travel restrictions issued on Friday.
Under the third phase of travel reopening which came into force at midnight on Thursday, those travelling from EU or Schengen countries classed as "yellow" no longer need to self-isolate on arrival in Denmark, meaning the change will allow Danes to return easily to some of the most popular holiday destinations.
READ ALSO: Denmark eases travel restrictions: EU tourists can now come to Denmark
"This is the first time since before Christmas that you can now actually go on a regular holiday trip to destinations where we would all actually like to go on holiday," Erik Brøgger Rasmussen, a director at Denmark's foreign ministry, told the Ritzau newswire. "It's not a huge reopening, but it is the first for many months."
Most of the new regions now rated "yellow" in the revised travel guidelines released on Friday afternoon are Spanish, including the Balearic Islands (Mallorca, Ibiza etc), the Canary Islands (Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Tenerife etc), the North African enclave of Ceuta, Asturia, Extremadura, Galicia, Murcia, and Valencia.
In Portugal, the Azores and Madeira are now rated "yellow", as is the entire island nation of Malta.
Rasmussen pointed out that all of the holiday areas which have been opened up for isolation-free travel are also open for travel from Denmark.
"The ones I have mentioned are also open at the other end, so to speak," he said. "Portugal as a whole is also so low [in cases] that infection is not a problem. But they do not want us in at the moment, so we are not going to open up to the whole country."
The changes come into force at 4pm on May 15th.
The only other change in travel guidelines was for travel from Nepal, which has now been rated a "red" country due to the prevalence of the new "Indian variant" of coronavirus.
"Nepal currently has a high infection rate, and as the variant of concern B.1.617 is now seen as widespread in several Indian states bordering Nepal, there is a high risk that B.1.617 may have spread to Nepal and be contributing to the current high incidence," the foreign ministry said. "This means there is also a presumed high risk of travellers from Nepal importing this variant."
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Under the third phase of travel reopening which came into force at midnight on Thursday, those travelling from EU or Schengen countries classed as "yellow" no longer need to self-isolate on arrival in Denmark, meaning the change will allow Danes to return easily to some of the most popular holiday destinations.
READ ALSO: Denmark eases travel restrictions: EU tourists can now come to Denmark
"This is the first time since before Christmas that you can now actually go on a regular holiday trip to destinations where we would all actually like to go on holiday," Erik Brøgger Rasmussen, a director at Denmark's foreign ministry, told the Ritzau newswire. "It's not a huge reopening, but it is the first for many months."
Most of the new regions now rated "yellow" in the revised travel guidelines released on Friday afternoon are Spanish, including the Balearic Islands (Mallorca, Ibiza etc), the Canary Islands (Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Tenerife etc), the North African enclave of Ceuta, Asturia, Extremadura, Galicia, Murcia, and Valencia.
In Portugal, the Azores and Madeira are now rated "yellow", as is the entire island nation of Malta.
Rasmussen pointed out that all of the holiday areas which have been opened up for isolation-free travel are also open for travel from Denmark.
"The ones I have mentioned are also open at the other end, so to speak," he said. "Portugal as a whole is also so low [in cases] that infection is not a problem. But they do not want us in at the moment, so we are not going to open up to the whole country."
The changes come into force at 4pm on May 15th.
The only other change in travel guidelines was for travel from Nepal, which has now been rated a "red" country due to the prevalence of the new "Indian variant" of coronavirus.
"Nepal currently has a high infection rate, and as the variant of concern B.1.617 is now seen as widespread in several Indian states bordering Nepal, there is a high risk that B.1.617 may have spread to Nepal and be contributing to the current high incidence," the foreign ministry said. "This means there is also a presumed high risk of travellers from Nepal importing this variant."
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