LISBON: Portugal will allow tourists from Britain to enter from May 17, following Britainâs go-ahead last week for its holidaymakers to travel to Portugal from that date, the Lusa news agency reported on Friday.
European Union rules prohibit non-essential travel from outside the bloc, making Portugalâs decision to allow British tourists in, which the state news agency attributed to a foreign ministry source, an exception.
Tourists from Britain will be required to present upon arrival evidence of a negative PCR taken in the previous 72 hours, according to Lusa.
The foreign ministry was not immediately available for comment. Officials had said an announcement was likely to be made on Friday.
Britain added Portugal to a âgreenâ list of foreign destinations a week ago, allowing Britons to travel there from May 17 without needing to quarantine when returning home.
The European Commission proposed on May 3 easing travel restrictions from outside the EU for people who were fully vaccinated or came from countries with low case numbers. The European Council is due to discuss the proposal on May 17.
Under the new British rules, travellers to Portugal will only need to take one coronavirus test upon returning to the UK. Other popular European holiday spots for Britons like Spain and Cyprus are on the âamber listâ, meaning that travellers would need to quarantine for 10 days upon return, and take two tests. â Reuters
