Hottest new restaurants, secret escapes and hidden gems... Sevilla is the first in our new series of incisive Insider’s guides to the very best of Spain
OLIVE PRESS
The
MALLORCA
FREE
Mask off! A BACKLASH against new rules forcing people to wear masks on the beach and by swimming pools has prompted the Balearics government to contradict the national administration. It has said that masks do not have to be worn provided that two conditions are met. The first is that you must be alone or with people from the same household and second, that a 1.5 metre distance can be kept from another person or group. The Spanish government had published in the Official State Gazette (BOE) that masks would be mandatory in all public spaces even where safety distances were met.
Slammed
It would have meant someone lying on a deserted beach stark naked could be fined for not wearing a mask. This decision was quickly slammed by the Balearic government with health minister Patricia Gomez immediately appealing for flexibility on the measure. “We believe that masks should not be worn on beaches if you are with people from the same household or if the safety distance can be respected,” said Gomez. A day later and after discussions with their legal team, Gomez explained that the new national law does not override its own regional legislation. “There is a sentence in the national law that mentions ‘in conformity with the health authorities.’ Continues on Page 4
Vol. 4 Issue 103
www.theolivepress.es
Your expat
voice in Spain April 9th - April 22nd 2021
Keep out
‘Fury’ at Spanish airport as 40 Brits deported back to UK, while dozens are kicked off flight from Gatwick DOZENS of Brits arriving at Alicante airport have been refused entry to Spain and sent back to Manchester on the same plane despite having evidence that they had residence status. Border guards had erected a sign in the terminal stating, ‘NO TIE CARD, NO ENTRY’ to the amazement of travellers, some of whom were flying to Spain to collect their TIE cards. Some 40 people who had arrived from Manchester Airport were left upset, angry and confused considering UK border officials AND airline staff had approved exit from the country. Stuart Miller, a 47-year-old offshore-worker from Manchester, described the situation as ‘absolutely diabolical”. “Even travellers who had letters from Alicante Foreigners’ Office asking them to collect their residency cards were turned away,” Miller told the Olive Press. “I mean what more proof do you need of residency?” Some of the others sent back included a woman wanting to see her sick father, stranded and alone in hospital. So heavy hand-
EXCLUSIVE By Simon Wade
ed was the arrivals desk that border agents were flanked by armed police, putting ‘the terror of God’ into those waiting to be questioned. “It appeared that only those who were actually on a list of legal residents, possibly checked in advance against the plane’s manifest, were allowed in,” said Miller.
Tension
“The rest of us were sent back without even being able to explain our legitimate reasons.” As the 40 plus travellers re-boarded, the flight was subsequently delayed, adding further to tension in the cabin. Miller added: “There was no advice, no help and no good reason for us being turned back at Alicante.” Ryanair staff had assured every traveller that their documentation - including COVID tests, letters and passports - was sufficient to gain entry into Spain. Mr Miller’s wife, Caz, warned other travellers: “Whatever paperwork you have with you, and whoever tells you that you’re
Discover hassle-free currency transfers Portals Nous, 07181, Mallorca. DISAPPOINTED: Stuart Miller
SP18206EN - Front page Ewn adverts v2.indd 4
14/02/2020 23:25
DIABOLICAL: Brits were turned away by Spanish authorities
okay to travel, be prepared to be carted back on to the plane and sent back. “I think the airport policy depends on nothing more than the mood of the officials at the border.” Since the incident, other Brits travelling from UK airports to Spain have been subjected to ‘arbitrary rules made up on behalf of another country’, according to one Olive Press reader. One expat based in Rincon de la Victoria, near Malaga, told the Olive Press that a ‘staggering dozen or so passengers’ were refused to board his flight from Gatwick to Malaga yesterday (Monday). The retired businessman, 60, who asked not to be named, described it as ‘running the gauntlet’. “It was so traumatic. You just had no idea who was going to be allowed on. “Everyone turned away had valid PCR tests or they had valid reasons to travel, whether to see ailing relatives or to secure or visit their properties,” he said. Meanwhile, a retired IT professional described how he was turned away from boarding a Ryanair flight to Alicante at Manchester on Monday. He had specifically checked the gov.uk website to check that buying a property was one of the ‘reasonable excuses’ for travel to
Spain. He described how he and six others were turned away at the gate because they weren’t in possession of a TIE card, regardless of their reason for travel. “Ryanair staff had made the arbitrary decision to deny their passengers travel on behalf of the Spanish authorities,” said the 63-year-old who only wanted to be identified by his first name Alec. He claimed that staff had ‘no intention’ of engaging in any conversation and couldn’t back up or justify their own ruling with any evidence in print or online. Others refused on board the FR4007 included a woman with Italian citizenship who was travelling back to her family home in Spain.
Embassy
And a married couple, where the husband had the TIE card, but not his wife. “It is crucial that when making plans to travel from the UK to Spain, a UK National must make sure that they meet both the requirements to leave the UK and those to enter Spain, bearing in mind that they are not the same,” said a statement from the Embassy in Madrid. Opinion Page 6