Due to the spread of the delta variant in Portugal, the RKI declared the country to be a virus variant area from Tuesday.
This has consequences for vacationers.
On Friday, the Robert Koch Institute (RK) announced that it would now classify Portugal as a virus variant area - initially for two weeks.
The delta variant makes up a good 50 percent of new infections with the coronavirus there.
The classification is only effective from Tuesday (June 29), so that
German vacationers in Portugal have until Monday evening
to return to Germany without restrictions.
For many vacationers this is bad news.
German vacationers “taken by surprise”: Quick return by Monday evening
“The Germans are angry, taken by surprise and helpless. Some of them don't yet know how to get home, ”reports Stefanie Bachmann to the editorial network Germany (RND). She wanted to spend a relaxing holiday in Portugal, but now had to take care of a short-term return to Germany. “We are in an apartment on Praia da Albandeira. We hadn't followed the situation at all and found out about it from an article on Friday evening ”. In the evening she tried to reach Lufthansa for hours. In the end, it was possible to rebook, but only for 270 euros.
Hundreds of tourists from Germany have ended their vacation in Portugal prematurely: Those who return after Monday evening have to go to a
two-week quarantine
- with no exception for
those who have been
vaccinated or
those who have recovered
.
According to Spiegel, the travel company Olimar in Cologne, which specializes in Portugal trips, offered its guests a timely return by Monday evening.
Around 270 vacationers would have accepted the offer.
The German Travel Association (DRV) estimates that there are currently around 1,000 German tourists in Portugal: "There are not that many yet, because Portugal has only recently become easily accessible again," said Kerstin Heinen, spokeswoman for the DRV, according to the German press Agency (dpa).
Also interesting
: Not just Corona: There is another danger lurking in these holiday countries.
Corona in Portugal: Criticism of classification as a virus variant area
On the part of Portugal, they are not very pleased with the development: The Portuguese Foreign Minister Augusto Santos Silva "regrets Germany's decision from two points of view", as the RND reports.
He criticizes the fact that the entire country is classified as a virus variant area, although the delta variant is particularly widespread in the greater Lisbon area.
In addition, a distinction should be made between vaccinated and unvaccinated people.
Portugal has a
14-day incidence of just under 125
, according to data from the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC)
.
In Germany, the value is currently 25. The sudden increase in infections from the beginning of June until now is probably due to the delta variant.
Only recently has the country relaxed its entry rules.
(fk)
Also read
: Germany's neighboring country deletes risk list and massively relaxes entry rules.
You should urgently avoid these mistakes in travel cancellation insurance
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