The British government has announced that all passengers arriving into England from Spain after midnight tonight will have to self-isolate for two weeks - after coronavirus cases rose again in one of the world's most visited countries.
Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland will also re-impose a 14-day quarantine for travellers returning from Spain, including the Canary and Balearic islands.
Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon tweeted that the move "reinforces the point that these matters are subject to change at short notice so my advice is to be cautious about non-essential foreign travel".
In Northern Ireland, the Department of Health confirmed that all travellers from Spain would be subject to quarantine from midnight.
Stormont's Health Minister Robin Swann said in a statement: "I have spoken with my counterparts across the UK today and we agree that the recent upsurge in new positive cases in different parts of Spain are a cause for concern.
"As of midnight tonight, anyone returning or visiting Northern Ireland from Spain, including its islands, will be required to quarantine for 14 days."
The Northern Ireland Executive last week requested an urgent summit of the Irish and British governments to discuss Covid-19 travel arrangements.
Spain has reported more than 900 new daily infections for the last two days as authorities warned the country that lost 28,000 lives before getting its outbreak under control could be facing a second major outbreak.
As Britain's Department of Transport confirmed the move, a spokeswoman for the Spanish foreign ministry said that Spain "respects the decisions of the United Kingdom" and is in touch with authorities there.
Statistically, Spain is the second most popular tourism destination in the world, with 83.7 million visitors last year. Only France attracts greater numbers, with 91 million visitors annually.
The Catalan government ordered the closure of all nightclubs, discos and event halls across the region of north-eastern Spain following a surge in cases of coronavirus.
Yesterday, Norway said it was reimposing a 10-day quarantine requirement for people arriving from Spain while France advised people not to travel to Catalonia.
Here in Ireland, the Government published a 'green list' of countries last Wednesday showing where people could travel to without having to restrict their movements when they return. Spain was not on the list.
However, official advice remains that the public should avoid all non-essential travel abroad. Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney said: "The safest thing for people to do is to holiday at home this year."
Additional reporting: Vincent Kearney
