My partner and I managed to getaway for a two week holiday to one of the Canary Islands last month, before the Spanish government saw a spike in Covid-19 cases, causing the UK government to take fast action, advising British citizens against all non-essential travel to Spain. But we were lucky enough to get out there before any of this happened.
Considering the current global situation, we both felt very safe in the airports, on the airplane and at our destination. We flew from Birmingham and it was mandatory to wear a face mask as soon as you stepped foot into the airport. Our temperature was taken before we even reached check-in. There were self-check-in and bag drop kiosks, where everyone tagged their own bag. We noticed all machines were wiped down by a member of staff, each time a family used one.
There were one-way systems put in place, security was very swift, there were no queues and it seemed they had all security belts open to ensure a fast process. All staff were wearing PPE.
We flew with Ryanair and they were fantastic, again it was mandatory to wear our masks the entire flight, apart from when we were eating and drinking. Passengers were spaced out on the flight and if anyone needed the toilet, they had to press the call button to get the ok to leave their seat from cabin crew.
When we arrived in Gran Canaria, it was extremely quiet, again there were temperature checks and extra security measures. Border control checked passengers had filled in the online Covid-19 form to be able to enter the country. (These new forms are now mandatory to enter most countries around the world.)
At our hotel, again face masks were mandatory everywhere, you could only take your mask off if you were sitting at a table or laying by the pool/swimming. They encouraged social distancing; in the restaurants you could only sit on every other table. Temperature checks twice daily, morning and night on every guest and hand sanitizer stations had been placed all over the hotel, including our room. When we left the hotel to explore, everyone wore a mask in shops, on public transport and down by the beach unless sunbathing or swimming.
Overall, we felt incredibly safe on holiday in Gran Canaria and had an amazing time. Wearing a face mask in 38c heat was a challenge, but if you’re wanting to get away this summer, that is something you have to deal with.