Spain Extends Cruise Ship Ban With No End Date Announced

Spain will be opening up its doors once again to international travellers looking for some much-needed sun post-lockdown, but the same sadly cannot be said for cruisers.

The popular Mediterranean holiday hotspot has announced that it has extended the ban on cruise ships with no end date given.

With the country approaching the end of its State of Emergency, British holidaymakers will be allowed to travel to Spain from 21 June as long as there’s no risk of Covid-19 spreading and they will no longer need to undergo quarantine.

However, those who were hoping to sail into its shores have been left disappointed as the Spanish government has said that it will be maintaining its ban on cruise ships coming into any port.

This is applicable to both mainland and the islands.

Cruise ships were banned from entering Spain three months ago because of the risk of coronavirus.

A Spanish executive has stressed that “all the necessary measures of sanitary control would be adopted to avoid any risk for the population of the country”.

According to an article by the Express, It is understood that the Spanish Ministry of Health may lift the restrictions for exceptional circumstances, which could include a medical emergency or a coronavirus outbreak, for instance.

In 2019, Spain saw more than 10 million cruise passengers visit, a number which is certain to shrink drastically in 2020 due to the cruise ship ban.

Further afield, other countries that have also extended their ban on cruise ships include Seychelles.

The archipelago announced last month that it would be drastic measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus (Covid-19), by banning all cruise liners from entering Port Victoria until 2022.

Australia’s Minister for Health also extended the country’s restrictions enforced following the outbreak of the pandemic, which prohibit international cruise ships having sailed from a foreign port from entering an Australian port until 17 September 2020.