On Europe 1, Daniel Camós, delegate of the Government of Catalonia in France, and José Manuel Albares Bueno, Spanish ambassador in France, invite French tourists to go to Spain without apprehension, despite the increase in cases attributed to the Delta variant.
INTERVIEW
While many French people are currently preparing for their holidays, will the Delta variant, which continues to gain ground, will it disrupt the summer season?
On Thursday, the French government in any case advised its nationals "to avoid Spain and Portugal" this summer, through the voice of Secretary of State for European Affairs Clément Beaune.
Statements that have, unsurprisingly, been freshly received in Spain, where it is ensured that everything is done to guarantee the safety of tourists.
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On Europe 1, Daniel Camós, delegate of the Government of Catalonia in France, assures us that Catalonia "is a safe tourist destination", where "we have been working for months on the implementation of a number of protocols in the tourism sector ".
"Specific measures" taken in Catalonia
Daniel Camós does not deny the increase in cases, which particularly affects young people, but relativizes the importance of these figures in comparison with the French situation.
"In France, the proportion of young people who are vaccinated is higher, but the proportion of the entire population vaccinated in Catalonia is now much higher," he points out.
In addition, "Covid hospitalizations per 100,000 inhabitants are higher in France than in Catalonia".
"We are in the process of taking specific measures", he said, recalling that Catalonia has decided to close discotheques and other places of nocturnal entertainment in closed spaces.
Are we heading towards a return to wearing a mandatory mask outdoors?
"No", answers Daniel Camós, "and I have no reason to think that will change in the weeks to come".
"Spain has a very high vaccination rate"
Also contacted by Europe 1, José Manuel Albares Bueno, Spanish Ambassador to France, also wants to be reassuring, insisting on the success of the vaccination campaign on the other side of the Pyrenees. "The best measure against Covid-19 is to get vaccinated, and Spain has an extremely high vaccination rate. 57% of Spaniards have already received at least one injection and 42% of them have already complete vaccination ", he explains.
And precautionary measures are also applied at the borders. "You can go to Spain in complete safety with a European QR code which shows that you have the complete vaccination, a negative PCR test of maximum 72 hours, or a negative antigen test of maximum 48 hours", specifies José Manuel Albares Bueno . Also, he insists, French tourists "can come in complete safety".
"We are in the European framework, all the rules are observed," continues the Spanish ambassador to France. "French tourists can travel safely to Spain, and we are waiting for them." "Look at the images of this first week of July of the tourists who were in Catalonia, ask your friends who spent this first week in Catalonia, and you will see that they will tell you that the beach is still there, that we always eat just as well, ”concludes Daniel Camós.