The Portuguese government announced on Saturday that it would extend the suspension of flights with Brazil and the United Kingdom until March 1 to bring the explosion in Covid-19 cases and the spread of new variants of the virus under control.
"
In the context of the epidemiological situation caused by Covid-19 (...) all flights remain suspended with Brazil and the United Kingdom
", said the Ministry of the Interior in a statement.
Read also: Portugal overwhelmed by the virus at the peak of the third wave
Portugal had suspended its flights with Brazil and the United Kingdom at the end of January because of fears related to the variants of the coronavirus detected in the two countries and considered to be more contagious.
Differentiated measures
With regard to flights from the European Union and the Schengen area, Portugal also maintained its three categories of measures until March 1, depending on the number of cases of coronavirus per 100,000 inhabitants.
Passengers from the least affected countries are not subject to any restrictions.
Those from intermediate countries must present a negative test for Covid-19 carried out less than 72 hours before boarding.
Finally, travelers from the countries with the most cases must not only present a negative test on boarding but also respect a 14-day quarantine upon their arrival in Portuguese territory.
Reduced contamination
On Friday, the Portuguese government extended until March 1 the controls and restriction of movement at the borders with Spain.
Country in the world hardest hit by the Covid-19 pandemic in January compared to its population of 10 million inhabitants, Portugal has been subjected since January 15 to a second general confinement.
After a record of nearly 16,500 new daily cases reached on January 28, the number of deaths and new infections has started to drop in recent days.
The country recorded 149 deaths and 2,854 new confirmed cases of contamination on Friday in 24 hours, according to the official report of the health authorities.
Despite an improvement in the situation, the country will "
very likely
" remain confined until the end of March because the situation remains "
serious
", Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa explained Thursday.
