LISBON: Passengers flying indirectly to
Portugal from
Britain or
Brazil must present a negative
Covid-19 test taken 72 hours before departure and quarantine for two weeks upon arrival from Sunday onwards, the interior ministry said on Saturday.
The move is designed to close a loophole which allowed travellers from Britain and Brazil to reach Portugal by stopping over in a country from which travel was authorised.
Direct commercial or private flights to and from Britain and Brazil have been banned since January to limit the spread of Covid-19 variants.
Direct humanitarian and repatriation flights will still be authorised but passengers must present a negative Covid-19 test taken 72 hours before departure and quarantine for 14 days.
The measures are due to be reviewed on March 16.
Portugal's tourism minister told a media publication on Friday the country hoped to allow British tourists who could prove they had tested negative or were immune to Covid-19 into the country from May 17, when
England lifts its ban on international travel.
Portugal, which has so far reported 808,405 Covid-19 cases and 16,486 deaths, is set to begin a sector-by-sector lifting of restrictions next week after nearly two months of strict lockdown following a devastating surge in cases at the beginning of the year.