The International Edition of the New York Times on Tuesday took a photograph of tourists in camels in Timanfaya National Park, in Lanzarote, to illustrate a report in which the lowest restrictions to travel to Spain were highlighted than to other European countriesDespite the expansion of infections by the omicron variant.
In the report - published in the International Digital Edition since January 19 - statements of a couple of visitors from Estonia, Tatjana Baldynjuk and Timur Neverkevits are cited, who pointed out that the restrictions against COVID “made it much easier to go toLanzarote that to many other places ".
"It was a hundred percent easier to come here than to many other countries," they told the American newspaper, which emphasizes that, "unlike many other neighbors, Spain does not demand a negative test to enter the country".
The New York Times compares the measures against the COVID of the Netherlands, which for more than a month has closed restaurants and canceled events, or those of Italy, which prohibited non -vaccinated people from going to restaurants or traveling by public transport, with those ofSpain, whose "message to tourists remains largely being the same as before the case wave: please come".
“Like other countries, Spain is trying to calculate how much economic pain can tolerate while trying to keep their population safe.But here, the memories of recent financial ruin are especially raw.The Spanish economy contracted more than 11 percent in 2020, the worst fall from the Civil War, ”says the newspaper.
The pandemia, he adds, came practically a decade after the crisis that exploded in 2008 and that devastated a wide strip of the economy in the following years, which caused a generalized strike, homeless people and people having to look for food in the garbage in the garbage.
Despite the clear content of the report published by the North American newspaper, the Cabildo issued a statement entitled as follows: "The beauty and tourist security of Lanzarote leads the cover of The New York Times".
In fact, the newspaper states that in Lanzarote "the Coronavirus is accepted" as something "endemic" and the "circulation of foreign visitors continues as before the pandemic"."His heavens," he describes, "they are dotted with airplanes full of tourists that arrive on direct flights from Manchester, Amsterdam and Düsseldorf".
Tourism "Without Mask"
In addition, he points out, the warm climate allows "to enjoy outdoors, without a mask".Actually, the mask was mandatory on the street since last December 24.Only there are exempt those who practice “individual sport” or carry out activities in “natural spaces”, provided that the distance of more than 1.5 meters with other non -cohabiting people can be maintained.
The report is illustrated with a photograph of "tourists watching the sunset" in the Risco de Famara.In the image nine people appear and none is wearing a mask.
"This has to be the way to follow, Spain has to accept that the virus does not go and that we have to continue doing business," says Juan Antonio Torres Díaz, who six months ago assumed the property of the ICO palace, withrestaurant and accommodation, in a bet that there is a recovery of tourism.
A sick couple on the island
"The open doors policy of Spain has not been exempt from risks," says the New York Times, which puts the case of Marian López, who carried out a trip with his partner to Lanzarote.
Before landing on January 7, the couple celebrated a dinner with their family for Kings Day.When they arrived in Lanzarote, they were the first weekend visiting the beaches of the island, and then they learned that one of their relatives, who had come to dinner, had Covid.
In Lanzarote, the couple began to have symptoms, including pain and fever.The tests that were made positive and had to isolate.When the stay at his hotel ended, they had difficulty finding an apartment, while worsened with the disease.
López, who has a blog called Travelanding, says that she and her partner joked before the trip with which they could not be so bad if they are forced to work from the island if they became ill.Now they think differently: "When you are sick," he said, "it is better to be at home".