British vacation ban is “absurd”, Portuguese international minister states

LISBON (Reuters) – Britain’s choice to suspend flights from Portugal since of worries about a new coronavirus pressure in Brazil is “absurd”, Portuguese Overseas Minister Augusto Santos Silva stated.

Santos Silva told the point out-owned information company Lusa late on Thursday he had requested a meeting with British international minister Dominic Raab to explain the problem.

Britain’s transportation minister introduced on Thursday that Portugal experienced been additional to a listing of South American nations from which arrivals were remaining banned for the reason that of its shut journey links to Brazil.

“This is an absurd measure, and we don’t recognize what it is centered on,” Santos Silva mentioned.

There is no proof that the Brazilian pressure is current in Portugal, according to well being authorities.

Flights in between Portugal and Brazil remain out there as aspect of a broader Portuguese coverage of protecting vacation to countries with significant Portuguese diasporas. The coverage allows only critical vacation and does not include tourism.

Travellers will have to current a detrimental coronavirus examination taken up to 72 hrs before departure.

Santos Silva criticised the short observe presented by Britain for the new evaluate, which went into power at 0400 GMT on Friday.

He stated Portugal experienced not banned journey from Britain when a new pressure of the coronavirus was first determined in the United Kingdom, but experienced adopted European Union plan by basically demanding a negative coronavirus test from travellers.

“I consider in the worth of reciprocity,” he claimed.