Can I still travel to Portugal? Latest Covid restrictions following flight ban

MORE countries have been placed onto the UK flight ban list due to new strains of coronavirus.

Here is what you need to know about Portugal regarding flights and coronavirus restrictions.

Can I still travel to Portugal?

The UK government banned all flights between Portugal and the UK last night, which was enforced from today at 4am.

The country was slapped with the ban due to its "strong travel links with Brazil", Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said yesterday, where a new strain has been reported.

Flights will no longer go ahead, although airlines are likely to offer repatriation flights for stranded tourists in the upcoming days.

The advice from the government states: "From 4am on 15 January, direct flights from Portugal (including the autonomous regions of Madeira and Azores) to the UK are prohibited.

"Visitors who have been in or transited through Portugal (including the autonomous regions of Madeira and Azores) in the previous 10 days cannot enter the UK."

Brits are unlikely to be on holiday, however, as the UK lockdown bans all non-essential travel.

Travel was also limited from the UK to Portugal unless a resident of the country due to EU restrictions regarding the coronavirus situation in Britain.

What are the travel restrictions in Portugal?

Before the travel ban, Portugal required a negative coronavirus test taken no more than 72 hours before to be allowed to enter.

This is expected to remain the case when the travel ban is lifted.

Brits also must quarantine on their return to the UK as there is no air bridge between mainland Portugal and Britain.

New restrictions which will be enforced from Monday require all UK arrivals, including returning Brits, to have a negative coronavirus test taken no more than 72 hours before.

Does the travel ban include the Azores and Madeira?

The Portuguese islands of Madeira and the Azores were on the air bridge list with the UK, which meant arrivals to the UK did not have to quarantine.

However, the travel ban includes all of Portugal, including the islands.

The same flight ban and quarantine rules currently apply to more than a dozen countries in southern Africa – where there is another more contagious strain tearing through the continent.

Government scientists say the Brazilian variant – known as mutation 194 – is similar to the highly contagious South African strain.

The new variant was first detected in Japan, and was there reported to the World Health Organisation.

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