Spain to open land borders with Portugal, France from June 22

Spain to open land borders with Portugal, France from June 22

FILE PHOTO: People enjoy on La Malagueta beach as some Spanish provinces are allowed to ease lockdown restrictions during phase two, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Malaga, southern Spain June 1, 2020. REUTERS/Jon Nazca

MADRID (Reuters) - Spanish Tourism Minister Reyes Maroto said on Thursday that all restrictions to border crossings with France and Portugal will be lifted from June 22.

The authorities closed the borders to everybody but Spaniards, cross-border workers and truck drivers from mid-March when the country went into lockdown to curb the coronavirus contagion.

Maroto told reporters that Spain would probably lift quarantine for people coming in by land from France and Portugal then, but added that was yet to be approved.

The issue of reopening of borders is a key one in Europe as countries hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic try to kickstart their economies and progressively go back to allowing freedom of movement in what is usually the border-free Schengen area.

Spain had initially said that it would only start lifting restriction to borders as of July 1, before adding over the past days that some could be lifted earlier.

Maroto provided more details of this plan on Thursday, saying they were working on experimenting with tourism to certain regions in the second half of June, and tour operator TUI was due to bring 6,000 German tourists to visit the Balearic archipelago around the island of Mallorca.

France has already said it was in favour of Europe opening its internal borders from June 15.

Portugal officially closed the border until June 15 but the government had previously said it assumed it would remain closed until the end of the month because of Spain's own restrictions - which now will themselves be lifted earlier.