ARCHIVED - Only one passenger on board the Gatwick-Corvera flight on Tuesday!

Clarification of the situation regarding travel to airports during the lockdown in Spain

The last two months have seen some extraordinary scenes at the Region of Murcia International Airport in Corvera, firstly with unheard-of numbers of passengers taking off and landing during the enforced temporary closures of Alicante-Elche airport in January and February and now with activity in the terminal building dropping to the other extreme due to the coronavirus emergency.

As many holidaymakers and temporary residents in the Costa Cálida hurriedly cut their stays short and make their way home while flights are still available, outbound flights at Corvera have been fairly full, but it is reported that on Tuesday the Easyjet plane arriving from Gatwick at 10.10 was carrying just one passenger.

The exodus of north Europeans from Murcia has brought about a little fairly light-hearted but wholly unjustified comment in the regional press, suggesting that the visitors from abroad are nothing more than “fair-weather friends” – take away the walks along the beach, the golf courses, the cold beer and the generous-sized spirits served in bars and the seafront restaurants and they all head for home at the first sign of trouble. At the same time, though, it has to be remembered that the Spanish government is urging Spaniards to return home while they can, and those heading back to their home countries in northern Europe are only doing the same thing.

For the time being a few flights are still operational at Corvera, but with both Ryanair and Easyjet cutting right back on services throughout Europe and the threat of airspace closure looming in Spain that may not be the case for very much longer: this makes it hardly surprising that those wishing to return to the UK are doing so while they can, and while in some cases passengers are being encouraged to change their flights to after 1^st April it appears extremely unlikely that within two weeks the coronavirus crisis will have died down sufficiently for flights to be running.

Travelling to and from the airport

It is important to stress that while people in Spain are confined to their homes indefinitely (the initial 2-week period is certain to be extended) those ferrying passengers to and from airports are not going to be prevented from doing so by the forces of law and order.

The police are charged with enforcing the lockdown, of course, but at the same time they are making every effort to do so in a reasonable way, allowing people to enter and leave the country while they still can – no closure of Spanish airspace has been confirmed but it is looking increasingly likely and the EU has just announced that it is closing its borders for the first time – whether they are foreign nationals leaving or Spaniards returning home.

Make sure you have ID documentation with you in the car as well as copies of travel documents (flight reservations and the like, with a spare copy for the driver on his or her journey back home after the passenger has been delivered to the airport), and the police will be happy to allow you to continue your journey.

Should I stay or should I go?

The UK government has recognized that during the coronavirus pandemic there are likely to be tens of thousands of Britons stranded abroad, and that it will not be logistically possible to repatriate them all. For this reason those who wish to return home should do so while they can.

UK nationals living in Spain either temporarily or permanently need to ask themselves some important questions in this situation. Those who are established here and feel safe and comfortable will probably opt to stay, but they should bear in mind that the current lockdown and travel restrictions are likely to last far longer than the initial 2-week emergency period.

In addition, it is hard to predict whether Boris Johnson’s government will place restrictions on those seeking to re-enter the UK in the near future.

At the same time, it should be borne in mind that any flight undertaken at present entails a certain amount of exposure to possible infection: less so in the case of the sole passenger on Tuesday’s Gatwick-Corvera flight, but even she had to engage in face-to-face contact with cabin crew, airport staff and numerous other people during her journey (including, to her surprise, journalists greeting her at Corvera).

Should you stay or go? Each individual must reach a decision which he or she is prepared to live with for the duration of the emergency travel restrictions, bearing in mind that they could well last for months rather than weeks.

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What to do if you are in the Region of Murcia and believe you may have contracted the virus

The regional government has set up a special helpline to supply information to members of the public (900 121212), and also urges people to call the 112 emergency services line if they suspect that they may have contracted the virus rather than going straight to hospital or to a medical centre. Medical staff will be sent to your home to test for the virus.

The Region’s public hospitals have limited the number of visitors to just one per patient.

Sensible precautions

The advice being issued to members of the public by medical authorities all over the world coincides on the following points:

- Wash hands frequently with either soap and water or a sanitiser gel

- Catch coughs and sneezes with disposable tissues – and throw the tissues away immediately after use before immediately washing your hands!

- If you don’t have a tissue, use your sleeve – and wash the item of clothing used at the next opportunity

- AVOID touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands

- AVOID close contact with people who are unwell

- Don´t panic!