(Bloomberg) -- Germany reclassified Spain as an area of risk after coronavirus infections surged, raising the alarm about a country that's among the most popular destinations for German tourists.
The ranking, which is Germany's third highest, includes the Balearic and Canary Islands. But it has little practical impact, as quarantine can be avoided by travelers returning to Germany as long as they have proof of full vaccination or recovery from Covid-19, or can provide a negative test.
Germany's move comes after a senior French official on Thursday advised citizens against vacationing in Spain and Portugal due to the spread of the more contagious delta variant, though the country's health minister on Friday sought to calm fears and said people “shouldn't panic.”
Germany's RKI public-health institute, which is overseeing travel classification during the pandemic, also designated two Irish regions as risk areas, as well as Bahrain. Cyprus and Fiji will be classified as “high-incidence” areas, the institute said on its website.
Spain's 14-day case notification rate per 100,000 inhabitants has shot up to 215, according to data from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control updated Thursday.
That was the third-highest in Europe, after Cyprus on 493 and Portugal on 241. Ireland had a rate of 109, compared with Germany on 11, France on 43 and Italy on 17.
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