Portugal at risk of returning to UK quarantine list following rise in COVID-19 cases
1 September 2020, 10:25
Tourists returning to the UK from Portugal may be expected to quarantine for two weeks.
Portugal is at risk of being re-added to the UK's quarantine travel list following a rise in coronavirus cases.
The country was put onto the Government's safe travel list just over a week ago, but isolation rules may be set to change again.
Portugal has recorded 21.1 virus cases per 100,000 people in the past week, which is up from 19.4 the previous seven days.
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If the number of cases per 100,000 tips over 20 in a country, it means quarantining rules will be considered.
While nothing has been confirmed yet, it has been reported tourists will know about any changes to travel by Thursday at the earliest.
However, one airline boss has warned that putting Portugal back on the quarantine list for the UK will cause "further chaos and hardship for travellers".
Writing in The Times, chief executive of International Airlines Group Willie Walsh said: "Another U-turn by the government, adding Portugal to the quarantine list, will cause further chaos and hardship for travellers.”
He added: "Britain’s economy is powered by our international connectivity and the ease with which we do business with other countries.
"Make no mistake: this is being destroyed by the government’s blanket quarantine on travel from a staggering 160 countries.”
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