Portugal is confident that it will be part of the “green list” of countries to which the British will be allowed to travel on vacation this summer, Portugal’s ambassador to the United Kingdom told Sky News today.
“We have to know the details of the British proposal. But, according to what we know so far, we are very confident that we can be part of the group of countries that will be part of the green list. Our numbers are excellent, they have been improving every day ”, said Manuel Lobo Antunes this morning.
Due to the covid-19 pandemic, it is currently forbidden to travel from the UK abroad without valid justification, namely for leisure, but the British Government intends to ease the restrictions from 17 May, the third stage of the deconfinition plan.
The Executive announced the intention to establish a ‘traffic light’ system to classify countries according to the risk of the epidemic situation, leaving the “green” destinations exempt from quarantine on their return to the United Kingdom, contrary to what will happen with the countries “Orange”.
Trips will be banned to countries on the “red list”, whose travelers will have to fulfill, on arrival in the United Kingdom, a 10-day quarantine at a designated hotel and at their expense.
The final conditions for the reestablishment of international travel and the composition of the lists of countries are expected to be announced in early May.
The Portuguese ambassador said he had “hope that in mid-May normal mobility between the United Kingdom and Portugal can be restored” with the “minimum of barriers possible”, that is, allowing people to enter without being vaccinated against Covid-19.
“We had an average of two million British tourists who visit Portugal every year. Last year, because of the pandemic, this number was significantly reduced. Our goal is to reach the pre-pandemic numbers as much as possible ”, said Lobo Antunes.
The United Kingdom remained the main tourist emitter market in 2020, representing 16.3% of overnight stays from non-residents, despite the 78.5% decrease compared to the previous year, according to figures from the National Statistics Institute.
Also to Sky News, British Transport Minister Grant Shapps said the Government is adapting a public health system mobile phone application to show that the user has been vaccinated or has tested negative.
“We are working with partners around the world to ensure that this system can be recognized internationally,” he said, indicating that the matter will be addressed at the meeting with G7 counterparts next week.