BRITS will enjoy holidays in Portugal this summer with the government set to lift its Covid travel ban on Monday.
Transport secretary Grant Shapps is set to announce that the tourist hotspot will be removed from the “red list” of 33 countries from which foreign travel is outlawed.
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The government imposed the ban in a bid to thwart dangerous new variants from entering the country, with travellers required to self-isolate in quarantine hotels for 11 days.
Portugal was initially placed on the red list due to its links to Brazil, where a worrying new strain has emerged that is believed to render vaccines less effective.
But according to the Daily Telegraph, Brits returning from Portugal will no longer have to quarantine from Monday – with getaways possible from mid-May.
Laying out his roadmap for lockdown last month, Boris Johnson said the earliest possible date for non-essential travel would be May 17 – the same date that the hospitality industry will reopen indoors.
Portugal, the only European nation on the government’s red list, has said it will open to Brits who have been vaccinated or test negative for Covid from mid-May.
'POSITIVE NEWS'
It comes after Greece, Spain and Cyprus signalled they would accept inoculated Brits, paving the way for a busy holiday season.
Henry Smith, the Tory MP who chairs the Future of Aviation Group, told the Telegraph: “This is positive news.
“Portugal is a significant destination for British holidaymakers.”
Earlier this year, Portugal imposed a ban on flights to and from the UK following the discovery of the Kent variant – though this will expire on March 16.
The country has gradually begun to ease restrictions following a dramatic fall in cases, with secondary schools, cinemas, theatres and shopping malls opening on April 19.
And from May 3, the government will allow restaurants to open fully and large indoor and outdoor events to be held – some seven weeks before the UK.
Portugal receives some two million British tourists a year, according to the Telegraph.
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