Quarantine for travellers from Britain arriving in Portugal

PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA / AFP

From Monday, unvaccinated passengers arriving in Portugal from Britain must quarantine for 14 days.

That's according to a Portuguese government statement issued late on Sunday.

The new rule, which will remain in place until at least July 11, comes amid a surge in cases in Portugal, where the number of daily new COVID-19 infections is back to February levels, when the country of just over 10 million was still under a strict lockdown.

Daily positive cases have also been rising in Britain for a month. Britons arriving in Portugal by air, land or sea must show proof they are fully vaccinated or self isolate for 14 days at "home or at a place indicated by health authorities."

Britain, one Portugal's biggest sources of foreign tourists, removed the southern European destination from its quarantine-free travel list earlier this month. 

Portugal is on Britain's amber list, meaning holidaymakers must self-isolate for 10 days when they return home and take expensive COVID-19 tests.

Portuguese health authorities have blamed the more contagious Delta variant, first identified in India but rapidly spreading in Britain too, for the recent rise in infections.

More from International

  • UK inquiry finds 'chilling' cover-up of infected blood scandal

    An infected blood scandal in Britain was no accident but the fault of doctors and a succession of governments that led to 3,000 deaths and thousands more contracting hepatitis or HIV, a public inquiry has found.

  • Iranian President Raisi killed in helicopter accident, state media says

    Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, seen as a potential successor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in a helicopter crash in mountainous terrain near the Azerbaijan border, officials and state media said on Monday.

  • ICC prosecutor seeks arrest warrants for Israeli, Hamas leaders

    The International Criminal Court prosecutor's office said on Monday it had requested arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his defence chief and three Hamas leaders for alleged war crimes.

  • Assange given permission to appeal against US extradition

    WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was given permission to have a full appeal over his extradition to the United States after arguing at London's High Court on Monday he might not be able to rely on his right to free speech at a trial.

  • Israel intends to broaden Rafah sweep, Defence Minister tells US

    Israel intends to broaden its military operation in Rafah, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on Monday told a senior aide to US President Joe Biden, who has warned against major action in the southern Gazan city that may risk mass civilian casualties. Israel describes Rafah, which abuts the Gaza Strip's border with the Egyptian Sinai, as the last stronghold of Hamas Islamists whose governing and combat capabilities it has been trying to dismantle during the more than seven-month-old war. After weeks of public disagreements with Washington over the Rafah planning, Israel on May 6 ordered Pale