Hello surfers,
While the number of infected people on mainland Europe remains at a high level, the number of those infected with the corona virus in the Canary Islands continues to decline.
So that it stays that way, there is now the rule that only holidaymakers with a negative Corona test can travel to the Canary Islands and thus to Fuerteventura. This regulation has been discussed by Spanish politics for a long time and is required above all by the Canarian authorities.
The Canary Islands have two important motives for the regulation of the corona test upon entry. First of all, the number of new infections with the corona virus should be kept permanently low. The Canary Islands already had relatively low numbers of corona infected people in the spring compared to the rest of Spain.
Of course there are enough hospitals in the Canary Islands, but the problem is if these places are really scarce, patients can only be treated again on the Spanish mainland several hours away.
The second important motive for the Canaries is to position yourself as a safe travel destination. There are now only a few holiday regions in Europe for which no travel warning applies. If you want to go warm in winter, the Canaries are now virtually without an alternative.
What holidaymakers appreciate in addition to the sun are the low numbers of those infected with the coronavirus in the Canaries. In order for it to stay that way, care must also be taken to ensure that the virus is not brought into the island from outside.
The strict regulation on the one hand will certainly deter holidaymakers, but on the other hand it also helps to keep the number of infected people permanently low. Holidays can be planned in the long term and holidaymakers can feel safer in the Canary Islands.
So much for the motifs.
In implementing this, the Canary Islands and the government in Madrid have not found an agreement for so long that there is now one rule for the Canaries and one for all of Spain (including the Canaries).
There are two rules: one for the Canary Islands and one for all of Spain (including the Canaries)
The Canary Islands regulations stipulate that every tourist who travels to the Canary Islands presents a negative corona test upon arrival at the accommodation. This means that the tourist accommodation, such as hotels, guest houses or officially registered holiday homes such as our villa in La Pared, not only have to record the personal details of the guest when checking in, but also have the negative Corona test shown.
A simple quick test is sufficient. The test must not be older than 72 hours.
The Spanish regulation applies to all entries into Spanish and thus also the Canary Islands.
With this regulation, everyone who enters Spain needs a negative corona test that is not older than 72 hours. At the moment only PCR tests are accepted.
The tests are checked on arrival at the airport.
There ary many private test centers. Also a lot of larger airports have test centers where you can take the test up to two days before departure and then have the negative test just in time for the flight. Here's a list with test centers in the UK:
https://www.holaislascanarias.com/sites/default/files/covid19/Labs_Covid_Europa_uk.pdf
Are corona rapid tests also accepted when entering the Canary Islands and Fuerteventura?
At the moment (as of the end of November 2020) no rapid tests are accepted when entering the Canary Islands and Fuerteventura, only PCR tests.
However, the government in Spain and the government in Madrid are still negotiating this contentious issue. The Canary Islands government, which had expressly requested a regulation for entry only with a negative Corona test, has waited a long time to receive permission from Madrid for this regulation. Since the Canary Islands, as an autonomous region, are still not allowed to regulate border traffic, the interim solution was made that the tourist accommodations in the Canary Islands have an obligation to control.
The long-awaited rule from Madrid actually replaces the Canarian Corona test regulation.
In order not to confront the few tourists who are still willing to travel with logistically too difficult tasks before starting their journey, however, the Canary Islands wish that the Corona rapid test would also suffice to enter the Canary Islands.
In addition, there are still no regulations for Spanish inland tourists who want to travel to the Canary Islands. It can therefore be assumed that the regulation will be improved and that the simple corona quick tests will then also be allowed on entry.
Conclusion
From the 23.11. All holidaymakers who want to travel to Fuerteventura must show a negative Corona PCR test at the airport upon arrival, which is not older than 72 hours. At many large airports there are test centers that carry out this test two days before departure so that you have the test on the day of departure.
It is quite possible that this regulation will be improved and that simple corona rapid tests will also be accepted upon entry.