Covid Crisis

These are the requirements to travel between islands on Easter

All passengers must present a declaration of responsibility at the time of boarding, accrediting the reason for the trip.

March 21 2021 (14:41 WET)
Updated in March 21 2021 (15:24 WET)
Requirements for traveling during Holy Week
Requirements for traveling during Holy Week

The Ministry of Health, through the Directorate of the Canarian Health Service, regulates the limitation of inter-island mobility established in the specific and temporary measures for the containment of COVID-19 for Easter. The resolution, which is expected to be published this Monday in the BOC, determines that all passengers traveling between islands, between March 26 and April 9, must present a declaration of responsibility accrediting the reason for the trip. For those trips that are not adequately justified by any of the reasons included in section 1.4.2 of the Government Agreement of June 19, 2020 and its subsequent updates, travelers from 6 years of age must present a negative active diagnostic test (PDIA) performed in the 72 hours prior to arrival at the destination.

This limitation on the entry and exit of people between the islands will be in effect from 00:00 hours on March 26 to twelve midnight on April 9 and affects inter-island travel by air or sea, regardless of the alert level in which the island is located and the place of habitual residence of the person traveling.

The limitation does not affect travel between the islands of La Graciosa and Lanzarote for residents of the former. Nor does it apply to travel originating or destined for abroad or the rest of the national territory, which will be governed by its specific regulations, nor to stopovers in the Canary Islands originating and destined for abroad or the rest of the national territory, when they are for a limited time that does not allow leaving the port or airport area.

Cases in which inter-island travel can be carried out

Inter-island travel is restricted to the following duly accredited cases:

·      Assistance to health centers, services and establishments.

· Fulfillment of labor, professional, business, institutional or legal obligations.

·     Assistance to university, teaching and educational centers, including early childhood education schools, as well as language and educational reinforcement academies for subjects included in regulated education curricula, conservatories and music schools, or for the preparation of selective processes in academies or training centers.

·      Return to the place of habitual or family residence.

·      Assistance and care of the elderly, minors, dependents, people with disabilities or especially vulnerable people.

·     Travel to financial and insurance entities or refueling stations in neighboring territories.

·  Required or urgent actions before public, judicial or notarial bodies.

·      Renewals of permits and official documentation, as well as other unavoidable administrative procedures.

·      Completion of unavoidable official exams or tests.

·   Assistance and care of domestic animals or agricultural holdings.

·   Training or professional or federated competitions of national or international scope.

·      Due to force majeure or situation of need.

· Any other activity of a similar nature, duly accredited.

In addition to the aforementioned cases, it will be possible to travel between islands when a negative active infection diagnostic test (PDIA) is presented, carried out in the 72 hours prior to arrival at the destination, which will not be considered a health service of the public health system.

Accreditation of the reason for the trip

To accredit the reason for the trip, a declaration of responsibility will be presented with the document model that will be made available to passengers on the SCS website and that must also be provided by airlines and maritime companies.

The declaration of responsibility will be collected and verified by the companies before boarding, which will not be authorized to passengers who do not provide the document. Likewise, airlines and maritime lines must keep this documentation available to the health authorities and their agents for three months, without prejudice to the control measures that may be carried out, with the corresponding responsibilities in case of non-existence or falsehood.

Active infection diagnostic test (PDIA)

Those passengers who travel for any reason not included in the justified exceptions in the regulation, must also present a Diagnostic Test of Active Infection for SARS-CoV-2 with a negative result, carried out in the 72 hours prior to arrival at the destination. This requirement will not be required for children under 6 years of age.

The admitted diagnostic tests, at the passenger's choice, will be: PCR (RT-PCR of COVID-19); Rapid tests for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 antigens with a specificity of more than 97% and a sensitivity of more than 80%, in accordance with the corresponding approval of a country of the European Union or the European economic area; or Amplification Mediated by Transcription (TMA).

The documentary evidence of the test must be the original, be written in Spanish and may be presented in paper or electronic format. The document will contain, at least, the following data: name and surname of the traveler, number of ID, NIE, passport or national identity document or letter, date of completion, identification and contact information of the authorized health center that performs the test, technique used and negative result. In the case of antigen tests, the homologated specificity and sensitivity must also be reflected.

The PDIA will not be considered a health service of the public health system, so it will not be carried out by the SCS in its own or affiliated centers, although the latter may carry it out privately. In no case will it be paid or reimbursed by the SCS. As an exception, on the island of El Hierro it will be carried out by the SCS, as there are no accredited private laboratories, but the corresponding public prices will be invoiced to the interested parties.

Once the PDIA has been carried out and prior to the trip, passengers will send the analytical results electronically.The proof will be collected and verified by the airlines and shipping companies before boarding, which will not be authorized to travelers who do not provide the negative PDIA.

The receipt will remain in the possession of its owner at the disposal of the health authorities and their agents, who may require its presentation during the trip, demanding the corresponding responsibilities in case of non-existence or falsehood of the tests. At the points of entry into each island, passengers may be asked, at any time, to accredit the result of the PDIA.

The PDIAs must be carried out in authorized health centers, services and establishments, in accordance with the Order of the Ministry of Health of November 2, 2020, which establishes the requirements for carrying out diagnostic tests for the detection of COVID-19 in the Canary Islands.

Obligations of tour operators and transport

Travel agencies, tour operators, air or sea transport companies and any other agent that sells air or sea tickets must inform passengers, at the beginning of the ticket sales process that involve inter-island travel in the Canary Islands, of the obligations derived established.

In relation to the declaration of responsibility, they must inform and provide passengers, collect and verify it before boarding, keep it available to the health authorities and their agents for a period of three months, and prevent the boarding of passengers who do not provide it.

With respect to the negative PDIA, they must collect and verify its proof before boarding people aged 6 or over and prevent the boarding of those who do not provide it.

Information to citizens

After the publication of the resolution in the BOC, the SCS will make available to citizens all the information related to these measures, necessary forms and other data of interest on its website.

 

 

 

 

Most read