Balearic Island airports and ports closed due to coronavirus crisis

BALEARIC Island airports and ports are set to be effectively closed due to the coronavirus crisis from today Tuesday with just a few exceptions.
Balearic residents will be allowed to return to the islands and tourists will be allowed to leave.
As of today there are some 25,000 tourists left on the islands, according to Balearic Island government President Francina Armengol.
The plan is to organise their organised departure, without build-ups at the airports, she said.
There will also be exceptions in cases of medical treatment and workers in essential services.
The measures under a national Transport Ministry order will come into effect as soon as they are published in the BOE official state bulletin.
Giving advance information on the details of the ministerial order following a meeting with the management of the regions’ ports and airports, Armengol explained the measures affect all private national and international flights and maritime transport, apart from the transport of goods.
This means that commercial flights, air taxis and private jets cannot operate in and out of the islands.
Only one flight a day per company between from Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia to Palma and one from Barcelona and Madrid to Menorca and Ibiza will be permitted.
There will also be a flight per day per company in each direction between Ibiza, Mallorca and Menorca.
These flights cannot be full, but must fly at a third of capacity.
Boat passengers will not be allowed to disembark, apart from the drivers of lorries transporting goods, and rented and privately owned boats are blocked from entering.
The ministerial order will also allow the Balearic Government to carry out health controls on travellers at ports and airports, and which everyone arriving from the exterior will have to go through. In addition, in the case of the exempt flights, airlines will have to make passengers fill out a Balearic Public Healthy Directorate General questionnaire which will serve for a subsequent screening process by health professionals.
If any problem is detected during the controls the passenger will be out in the hands of the relevant health professionals.
“The islands will be practically closed”, Armengol concluded, while stressing the supply of goods will be assured.