Not One Positive Covid Test At Alicante Airport Over Easter

Despite fears that there would be a surge in Covid infections over the Easter break and expats and citizens alike criticising the Spanish government for allowing tourists travel to Spain, Alicante airport didn’t register one positive coronavirus case despite conducting 54 in-house antigen tests. Within the Valencian Community, only 2.21 per cent – or three people – who arrived to the airports without proof of a negative PCR test supposedly required for travel, subsequently tested positive. All of these occurred at the Valencian Manises airport between March 27 and April 5, when a total of 82 antigen tests were conducted.

According to a health spokesperson, “each positive that is detected at airports is an outbreak that is avoided” and as such, the Valencian airport controls prevented three positive cases moving through the community and possibly causing major outbreaks over Easter.

The same sources, however, have indicated to Spanish daily Informacion that the Spanish government has approved this week another extension of the restrictions on flights from Brazil and South Africa. The measures, ehich were first introsuced on February 2, will now continue until April 27. According to the current restrictions, only Spanish or Andorran citizens and residents can currently fly directly from those countries.

The Alicante-Elche airport recently celebrated its passenger terminal’s 10th anniversary, where around 100 people representing ground staff, police, the Guardia Civil, firefighters and all those who contribute to the day-to-day running of the airport met outside to form an outsize number 10 on the aircraft parking apron.

Despite a 75 per cent reduction in traffic due to the coronavirus pandemic, airport manager Laura Navarro told a Cadena SER radio interviewer shortly before the anniversary that she was confident passenger volume would rise to 51 per cent in 2021.

source: euroweeklynews.com