Portugal in talks with UK over travel quarantine restrictions
7 July 2020, 23:50
The Portuguese Prime Minister has said talks are under way with British officials about travel corridors between the two countries after the Portugal was excluded from the list of countries exempt from coronavirus travel quarantine.
Portuguese Prime Minister Antinio Costa said: "The foreign minister had a long conversation with his counterpart.
"It is very important we build a confident relationship."
Mr Costa said his foreign minister has had a long conversation with his UK counterpart.
It comes after the Foreign Office unveiled a lost of more than 70 countries which UK holidaymakers can visit without having to quarantine for two weeks on their return.
Portugal was not listed as one of these countries, which the country called "absurd".
On Friday, Mr Costa tweeted: "Which is the safest place to stay? You are welcome to spend a safe holiday in Algarve! #UK #visitportugal."
The tweet was accompanied by a graph appearing to show the UK having a higher infection rate than the Algarve.
Which is the safest place to stay?
— António Costa (@antoniocostapm) July 3, 2020
You are welcome to spend a safe holiday in Algarve!#UK #visitportugal pic.twitter.com/2xZzddlzVy
The exemptions from quarantine will apply from 10 July for the countries listed by the government.
The Department for Transport said the approved destinations were chosen as they "pose a reduced risk to the public health of UK citizens".
They said the list is "under constant review".
The full list is as follows:
Andorra
Antigua and Barbuda
Aruba
Australia
Austria
Bahamas
Barbados
Belgium
Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba
Croatia
Curaçao
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Dominica
Faroe Islands
Fiji
Finland
France
French Polynesia
Germany
Greece
Greenland
Grenada
Guadeloupe
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
Italy
Jamaica
Japan
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macau
Malta
Mauritius
Monaco
Netherlands
New Caledonia
New Zealand
Norway
Poland
Reunion
San Marino
Serbia
Seychelles
South Korea
Spain
St Barthelemy
St Kitts and Nevis
St Lucia
St Pierre and Miquelon
Switzerland
Taiwan
Trinidad and Tobago
Turkey
Vatican City
Vietnam
