Two week quarantine for travellers arriving into NI from Spain
The regulation came into force at midnight
Travellers coming into Northern Ireland from Spain will now have to quarantine for 14 days.
The regulation is also being applied in all other parts of the UK and came into effect at midnight.
Health Minister Robin Swann says the decision's been made after an upsurge of covid-19 cases in parts of the country.
In a statement last night he said, “the decision to remove Spain from the exempt list was not taken lightly.”
“I have always said I will move swiftly and take the necessary action to ensure our citizens are protected.”
“I have spoken with my counterparts across the UK today and we agree that the recent upsurge in new positive cases in different parts of Spain are a cause for concern.”
“As of midnight tonight, anyone returning or visiting Northern Ireland from Spain, including its islands will be required to quarantine for 14 days.”
“I will continue to monitor the situation in Spain and other countries and make the changes to the regulations when necessary.”
SDLP health spokesperson, Colin McGrath says he hopes testing will be made available quickly for those affected.
“This decision has been taken in light of the increased numbers of cases in a number of areas in Spain, with places such as Aragon and Catalonia seeing large increases of new cases.”
“This will be a shock to people returning from Spain in the coming days as they will now have to make arrangements regarding work and other domestic matters and prepare for 14 days of isolation.”
“I hope that testing will be made available quickly for these people so a quick result will enable them to return to work sooner.”
“Many people will now have to take the decision not to travel on their holidays and this will be a blow to them.”
“I feel especially for families with children who may now have to explain why they cannot travel.”
“This highlights the benefits of a ‘staycationing’ and with the popularity of Spain will be a knock to the tourism industry there and to the travel industry here.”
“Such decisions are taken in the interests of safety for all our community and I hope that people comply and adhere to the regulations.”