Portugals Madeira and Porto Santo islands, as well as the Azores, have been included in the global list of destinations which are exempt from the FCO?s advice against all but essential travel, which came into force over the weekend
The FCO decision is in response to Madeira and Porto Santo's low rates of COVID-19 infection, after the islands implemented restrictive measures before the first cases were reported in Portugal.
Both islands registered 92 positive cases, of which 90 have already recovered, with zero deaths. As a result, Madiera reopened for tourism on July 1, with the requisite criteria being a COVID-19 test performed no more than 72 hours prior to departure or a free test upon arrival, paid for by the Madeira Government. The Madeira Government will cover the cost of medical care, lodging and meals, for those test positive for COVID-19 on arrival.
However, the rest of Portugal is still subject to the FCO travel restrictions. According to the latest figures, there are 13,060 active cases in Portugal, with the death rate declining. Since the beginning of May, the number of intensive care admissions has halved, overall hospitalisation is down 60%, deaths are down by 70%.
Luis Ara?jo, president of Turismo de Portugal, expressed disappointment at the UK government's decision to omit most of Portugal from the latest travel advice: "The reality in Portugal is totally different from the one portrayed by this decision. We fully maintain and stress unwavering confidence in the safety of the nation to welcome back international visitors. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the Portuguese government and tourism industry has worked tirelessly to implement a carefully strategised and thoroughly actioned protocol for the tourism industry and wider society. From our viewpoint, the entire national territory should have been appropriately included in the UK travel corridor owing to the successful containment of the outbreak."
In its statement, the tourism board highlighted safety measures taken by Portugal, such as training more than 20,000 hospitality sector staff, high rates of COVID-19 testing, more than 18,000 establishments voluntarily signing up to the country's Clean & Safe hygiene protocol, and becoming the first European destination to receive the ?Travel Safe? stamp by the World Travel & Tourism Council.
However, people returning to the UK from Madeira and Azores will need to self-isolate for 14 days.
