Holiday Islands Covid-19 Update

Updated: 20th October 2020

Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, official advice and information relating to foreign travel has been confusing and contradictory and it has been difficult to establish the actual level of risk involved when considering a destination. Whilst news headlines are still reporting a gloomy outlook, a look at some recent data may provide some much needed optimism for travellers.

For most of the summer, Covid-19 case data for the Canary Islands, the Balearics and Madeira has been included within the total figures for mainland Spain and Portugal - a blanket approach which has caused much confusion and anxiety for travellers. More recently, data has been produced relating to each individual territory, providing a much clearer and, in some cases, more positive picture.

Covid-19 Case Data For The Islands

In Madeira, cases have remained consistently well below the UK Government critical travel ban benchmark of 20 cases per 100,000 population. Since March cases per 100,000 have averaged at around 6.6, and are currently listed at 13.8.

Cases in the Balearic Islands have been on a continuous decline since mid-August, when they were reporting around 330 new cases per day (178.5 cases per 100,000). By the second week in September, cases had dropped to around 130 cases per day, and as of 10th October, the Balearics are reporting a cases of 61.1 per 100,000. If the numbers continue to drop at this rate, Ibiza, Majorca and Minorca could soon be below the threshold of 20 per 100,000 and back on the Government’s Travel Corridor list.

Similarly, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura are reporting declining rates of infection in line with the Balearics and now that the data is currently still reporting figures around/under the 20 per 100,000 threshold, it is hoped that this significant rate of decline will place them back on the Travel Corridor list before too long.
If the UK Government had applied its travel restrictions fairly and consistently in line with its own benchmark figures, travel to three of the Canary Islands should have been possible for most of the summer, and Madeira should never have been excluded. As it stands, if the figures for these destinations continue on their steady downward trajectory, we may see some much needed winter sun destinations opening up again in the not too distant future.

Data sources: Portugal Director-General of Health, SIVIES National Epidemiology Center & Government of the Canary Islands (Canary Islands Health Service)

 

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