Irish tourists seeling out sunnier climes in one of Spain's most popular destinations will be relieved to learn of the latest rule changes.
The good news sees nearly all restrictions lifted in Malaga, one of the holiday hotspots for people from Ireland.
As of Thursday morning, all rules, apart from the requirement to wear masks while in hospitality settings indoors, have been lifted.
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The decision was made by a committee of High Public Health Alerts on Wednesday to lower the Covid alert level in the province from level one to zero.
The relaxed rules will be in place until March 31 at the very least, local news outlet The Olive Press reports.
Irish holidaymakers visiting Malaga will only have to wear masks indoors when in bars, restaurants and nightclubs.
There are also no restrictions on opening hours and capacity in these premises, while capacity rules in theatres and cinemas have also been lifted.
However, it has been advised that "the circulation of people around the premises must be organised in such a way that the prescribed safety distances on the interpersonal distance is respected".
Doors must also be opened to allow people to enter and exit in a staggered manner.
The Department of Foreign Affairs advice for Irish people visiting Spain with the EU Digital Covid certificate says: "Passengers with a valid EU Digital Covid Certificate (EU DCC), as well as all arrivals coming from countries not considered at risk, must complete the Health Control Form before their departure (also available in the Spain Travel Health app) and obtain a "FAST CONTROL QR code" to present at boarding.
"The "FAST CONTROL QR code" gives access to faster health checks, as passengers will not have to show the certificate either at boarding or at the health check on arrival.
"For the purpose of travel to Spain, vaccination certificates are valid from 14 days after the administration of the last dose of the primary vaccination schedule.
"Vaccination certificates are valid for no more than 270 days from the date of the last dose of the primary vaccination schedule. For any period in excess of this, vaccination certificates must reflect the administration of a booster dose in order to be valid.
"Passengers will not be subject to further testing or quarantine requirements on entry to Spain provided they hold a valid EU DCC as evidence of either:
- Proof of vaccination, or
- Proof of recovery, or
- Either a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours prior to arrival in Spain, or a negative antigen test taken within 24 hours prior to arrival in Spain."
Read more: Thousands of Covid vaccine certs could expire well ahead of summer season
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