Tenerife Closes Borders In Blow To Tourist Recovery

British holidaymakers who enjoy flying off to the sunny island of Tenerife have been dealt a huge blow as the local government closes its borders for 15 days to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The decision to close Tenerife’s borders was taken by the Canary Islands Government on 16th December and comes into effect on Friday.

According to an official report, they decided to close off the borders given the rising cases of COVID-19.

Tenerife, the largest of the eight Canary Islands and a popular holiday destination for around five million tourists a year, has seen the infection rate remain relatively high compared to the other islands.

The Spanish island reported a weekly accumulated incidence rate of 114 cases for every 100,000 inhabitants on 14th December. That ranks it in the middle or high risk area.

The measures will be in place for 14 days and will enter into effect at midnight tomorrow (18 December). They are initially scheduled to end on 1st January.

The island is also subject to a curfew which forces people to remain in their homes between 10pm to 6am.

Families will be allowed to meet in groups of no more than six people and the curfew will be extended until 12.30am on the 24th and 31st December.

Other measures taken by the government include keeping common areas at 33 percent capacity, the closing of betting establishments, and stringent measures on bars and restaurants.

Tenerife has been on red traffic light alert for the last two weeks as cases went from well below the national average to among the highest in Spain.

The report adds that any tourists who already made plans to visit the island must be able to present a test showing they do not have the virus, and can only stay at designated places.

It is hoped that tourists will receive more clarity on the conditions in the coming days.