Ana içeriğe atla

Spain to open to foreign tourism from July 1

MADRID (Reuters) - Spain will further ease a coronavirus lockdown in its two main cities from Monday, but will not start opening its borders to foreign tourists before July 1 while it seeks a common European stance on safe travel, the government said on Friday.

Health Minister Salvador Illa said some restrictions would be lifted in Madrid and Barcelona, which have so far lagged behind the rest of the country's easing programme.

From Monday, bar and restaurant patrons will be allowed to sit inside rather than exclusively on outdoor terraces, while children will be able to play outside at any time of day.

On Thursday, Tourism Minister Reyes Maroto said land borders would reopen from June 22, causing some confusion, as well as criticism in neighbouring Portugal.

"There has been no change in the government's position since day one," government spokeswoman Maria Jesus Montero told a news briefing, referring to the previously announced July 1 date.

Despite relying heavily on tourism, which generates some 12% of GDP, hard-hit Spain has been reluctant to open its borders without a European Union-wide agreement.

In a joint letter to the European Commission, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Italy's Giuseppe Conte called for a reopening plan based on "common, clear and transparent epidemiological criteria", also proposing that EU members agree on infection incidence thresholds for third countries.

In a sign that consumer appetite is beginning to return, data showed bank card spending rose by 16% in May after plunging in April, when industrial output slumped 34% according to a separate data release.

But in a reminder of the devastation wrought by the virus, Spain fell silent for a minute at midday, marking the end of a 10-day mourning period for the 27,134 people who have died. There have been 240,978 cases of the infection.

In Madrid, which accounts for about a third of the deaths, reactions to the easing were not universally positive.

Story continues

"I think it's a bit risky and if there's another outbreak I don't know if we will have enough resources," dental hygienist Noemi Seco told Reuters. "I know lots of people who work in hospitals and we're stretched very thin."

(Reporting by Belén Carreño, Guillermo Rodriguez, Inti Landauro, Clara-Laeila Laudette; Writing by Nathan Allen; Editing by Andrei Khalip)

Etiketler:

Yorumlar

Yorum Gönder

Bu blogdaki popüler yayınlar

Digitalize Your Business and Save Money by Implementing CRM Software

Easily share resources and information with other team members, manage relationships with partners, vendors, and organizations, and create a community of loyal customers with just one software. A CRM software can prevent this by : Managing individual deals on the pipeline entourage reminders and alerts for deadlines Categorizing leads and opportunities based on value, length in the pipeline, and other relevant rubrics Tracking service ticket history Producing reports on production and using those to accurately forecast sales Storing virtual receipts from vendors, shoppers, and organizations, as well as track other forms of interaction Tracking inventory and production schedules Insurance Juggling different accounts is a bane for most insurance reps. With a CRM software, insurance companies can be smarter in managing customer information, converting these into insightful decisions and helpful solutions. Whether you ’re working solo or have a small team, a CRM can help you improve the wa...
2 yorum
Devamı

Business Software Must Get Out Of The Way Of Digital Transformation

The data contained in your business system has always been a precious asset. We’re now in a time when changes in the way business is conducted mean that this data must be combined with other sources to make it more useful — driving new insights, automating transactions and creating net new business models. In short, we have the buzzword that launched a thousand worries: digital transformation. I work with many organizations leading the charge toward digital transformation and note that each of their business models relies heavily not just on their own proprietary data held in their system of record, but also data from third-party sources, connected devices and their vendors’ and customers’ systems. For example, startup Understory is combining data from the internet of things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI) to create new intelligence offerings for critical sectors in sectors including insurance and government. Even further, household names like Uber depend on real-time geolocatio...
Yorum Gönder
Devamı

How to Get Your Money to Those Who Need It More Than You

As unemployment claims pass 40 million and the anxious people who file them grow more desperate, an altruistic instinct has emerged among those who are more financially secure. But the sheer breadth of the pain is almost overwhelming, and the appeals are everywhere. And the impulse is to help — now — when confronted with a personal plea. So what is the very best way for people with more money than they need to quickly hand it over to those in need, so they can use it for food, shelter and other necessities? It isn’t easy to find a satisfying answer. Sites and services like GoFundMe can connect donors with real people, but they may lack vetting of recipients, their back stories or their plans. They also may not make it possible to be identified or anonymous, depending on your preference as a giver or a beneficiary. Donors with large amounts to give may want to use tax deductions to increase what they can afford to donate, but may not be able to get them through one-off cash transfers. T...
Yorum Gönder
Devamı