Brits may not get the vital and long-promised ‘air bridge’ agreement to take their holidays in Portugal this summer.
Despite all the efforts made by the tourism sector, the rise in the number of infections since the country emerged from lockdown is putting other countries off.
Denmark yesterday updated its travel advice to nationals desperate to get away to the sun – but still Portugal was on a ‘blacklist’.
Today, UK papers are suggesting Brits will be allowed to travel to France, Spain, Greece, Italy, Turkey and Croatia without the need to self-isolate for 14-days on their return – but there is no mention of Portugal.
The reason is solely on the basis of how many infections there are per 100,000 inhabitants.
The fact that the virus is actually ‘softening’ in effect in the hot, dry weather (for example, of the 111 cases identified in Lagos recently due to an ‘illegal party’ in Odiàxere, none have developed serious symptoms, and most have almost no symptoms at all) is not taken into account.
It’s an absolute body-blow to authorities who have pulled out all the stops to market tourist destinations as ‘Covid-safe’.
All we can hope for is that the situation ‘changes’ before next week when the definitive list of ‘air bridges’ is expected to be confirmed by the British government.
