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After a sharp increase in the number of Covid-19 cases in Portugal last week, there are fears that the UK will reintroduce restrictions and mandatory quarantine for all British nationals returning from Portuguese territory later this week. .
The news was initially advanced by The times on Sunday, claiming that figures in Portugal had approached the UK’s minimum limits for enforcing the quarantine. According to the post, the number of cases in Portugal per 100,000 inhabitants rose from 16.4 to 19.4, and the United Kingdom said it would re-impose the mandatory quarantine when the proportion exceeds 20 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. Now, the subject returns to the newspapers.
Portugal was again included in the UK air corridors on August 22, but the British press already mentions the possibility that the country will be excluded again and restrictions will be imposed on those who travel to and from Portugal. The eventual exclusion of Portugal, according to the press, has the main objective of avoiding a second wave in the United Kingdom.
It is true that since Portugal was once again included in the list of countries exempt from Great Britain’s sanitary restrictions and measures, increased demand for flights and accommodation in Portuguese territory. It is estimated that around 75,000 UK citizens are currently on holiday in Portugal or planning to travel to the country soon.
But if Portugal returns to the UK’s “blacklist”, tourists may face “difficulties”warned the CEO of British Airways quoted by the BBC.
If the British government again adds “Portugal to the quarantine list, will cause more chaos and suffering to travelers “Willie Walsh asserted.
“The government is using arbitrary statistics to permanently ban 160 countries and, in the process, destroy the economy.”he added.
In a normal summer, without the shadow of a pandemic, many UK residents seek Portugal for tourism, surpassing two million British tourists a year. The Algarve coast is the most sought after destination, having received 1.2 million British tourists in 2019.
But if the threat materializes and quarantine measures are re-imposed, many tourists are expected to try to return home as soon as possible, to avoid restrictions.
Portugal needs a “miraculous fall” not to be excluded
Last Monday (August 31), the United Kingdom registered 24.0 cases of coronavirus per 100,000 people in the last 15 days, while Portugal registered 35.7, according to data from the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control.
According to Paul Charles, CEO of PC Agency, a travel consultancy cited by the Daily Mail, Portugal needs a “miraculous drop” in the number of infection cases in the coming days to never be excluded from British air corridors again.
“Portugal is likely to be back on the UK’s quarantine list this week and the country itself is preparing a state of contingency from September 15,” said Paul Charles, adding that the country “has not managed to manage its number of cases in the last two weeks, due to the influx of more tourists, especially in Lisbon and Porto.”
The PC Agency, which publishes a daily tally of infection rates, has classified Portugal as a ‘yellow’ nation, meaning it is approaching the UK limit for mandatory quarantine, with 19.4 Covid cases. -19. for every 100,000 inhabitants in the last seven days.
“There will need to be a miraculous drop in the number of cases by Thursday to prevent it from being added back to the government’s intermittent quarantine list as it is rapidly moving into the red zone.”.
On Saturday, Paul Charles warned, via Twitter, of the risk that Portugal will once again be near the “red” zone.
“Cases in Portugal have increased again, placing it on the brink of the red quarantine zone on Saturday morning.”, wrote.
Therefore, the agencies predict that tourists currently in Portugal will try to return to the UK sooner and that many of their upcoming trips will be canceled.
