Ibiza and Majorca tourists without masks to be fined £90

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British tourists on Ibiza or Majorca will have to wear face masks even when outside from Saturday or face a £90 fine

  • Governors responsible for Balearic Islands confirmed they were tightening rules
  • It has not yet been confirmed if they will be mandatory on the islands’ beaches
  • Rules are expected to start applying in the Balearic Islands from Saturday 
  • They have already kicked in in Catalonia but there is an exception for sunbathing

By Gerard Couzens and Harry Howard For Mailonline

Published: | Updated:

British holidaymakers jetting to Ibiza or Majorca will have to wear face masks whenever they leave their hotel rooms, it emerged today.

Governors responsible for the Balearic Islands confirmed they were tightening the rules hours after Catalonia became the first Spanish region since the end of the country’s state of emergency to make them obligatory at virtually all times in public.

It has not yet been confirmed if they will be mandatory on the islands’ beaches.

Catalonia, which includes Barcelona and the Costa Brava, was expected to make sunseekers wear them even when they were topping up their tans, although on Wednesday it emerged the exceptions on their use extended to sunbathing.

British holidaymakers jetting to Ibiza or Majorca will have to wear face masks whenever they leave their hotel rooms, it emerged today. Pictured: British tourists without masks in Magaluf, Majorca, on Wednesday

Governors responsible for the Balearic Islands confirmed they were tightening the rules hours after Catalonia became the first Spanish region since the end of the country's state of emergency to make them obligatory at virtually all times in public. Pictured: Ibiza

Governors responsible for the Balearic Islands confirmed they were tightening the rules hours after Catalonia became the first Spanish region since the end of the country’s state of emergency to make them obligatory at virtually all times in public. Pictured: Ibiza 

The new rules on face masks have already kicked in in Catalonia and are expected to start applying in the Balearic Islands from Saturday.

Britons who were pictured arriving in Majorca on Wednesday were not wearing masks.

British holidaymakers are the pariahs of Europe 

British holidaymakers will be treated like pariahs if they go abroad this year over fears they could be coronavirus super-spreaders, according to a YouGov poll.   

The polling company questioned 1,000 people across popular European holiday destinations. 

Spain was the sniffiest country about Britons visiting with 61 per cent of those questioned wanting them to stay away. 

In France, some 55 per cent said they opposed visitors from Britain, compared with between 32 and 46 per cent from elsewhere, while in Germany and Italy the proportion with concerns was 58 per cent and 44 per cent respectively. 

People who flout the order to cover up their mouths and noses will be hit with a fine of €100 (£90).

Up until now face masks in Spain have only been obligatory in closed public spaces like shops as well as public spaces outdoors where social distancing of around five feet could not be guaranteed. 

The change means that tourists and locals will leave themselves open to fines if they go for a morning stroll along an empty stretch of beach or leave their spot on the sand to walk to a beach bar.

People practicing sport and children under six are being exempted.

Those who share the same roof will also continue to be allowed to take off their face masks to travel by car, meaning a British family who hire a rental vehicle will not face any action if they are stopped for not covering up their noses and mouths while they are on the road.

Police are expected to be advised to give foreign holidaymakers who may be unfamiliar with the new rules a warning before they start fining people.

There has been no news yet on whether other Spanish regions including the Costa del Sol will follow suit in the next few days.

The rule changes in Catalonia and the Balearic Islands come on the back of mini-lockdowns caused by new Covid-19 outbreaks in La Marina north of Lugo in Galicia, and the Segria region of Lleida province near Barcelona.

The lockdowns, which have led to police closing down the regions to outsiders, have affected around 300,000 people.

The news comes after it emerged that Ibiza’s government is backing an initiative to give NHS staff and other European healthcare workers free holiday hotel accommodation.

Juan Miguel Costa, Ibiza’s tourism councillor, said the scheme aims to compensate ‘those who have looked after us.’ 

Hhe told local paper Diario de Ibiza that staff have ‘risked their lives in many cases and deserve that we all do our share to make sure they have holidays that meet high expectations. 

One week’s free accommodation will be offered in April, May and October 2021, outside the holiday island’s peak season. 

At least 60 private properties have been offered as part of the initiative, named Together for Healthcare Heroes.

Hoteles and Concept Hotel Group chains are also being offered.