Spain persuades Britain govt to put some areas on safe travel list

Spain is trying to persuade the British government to put some Spanish regions on its safe travel list.

Spanish Foreign Minister Arancha Gonzlez Laya says the UK decision last weekend to require people arriving from Spain to self-isolate for 14 days was based on Spain's recent national surge in coronavirus cases.

Gonzlez Laya told Radio Euskadi in an interview Thursday that some Spanish regions are not badly affected, and suggested Britain could allow travel corridors between those regions and the UK.

Spain on Wednesday reported the highest daily number of new coronavirus infections in almost three months, with 1,153.

But the Balearic Islands, including vacation hotspots such as Ibiza and Mallorca, had just one new case while the Canary Islands, another popular destination for British tourists, had only seven.

Spain is the top holiday destination for British tourists, with around 18 million people heading there last year, and their absence is a heavy blow to Spain's key tourism industry.