The truth of the matter is no one knows. The latest news to come out from the Government is that all flights to Portugal are banned until June 15 and that the Portuguese borders will be closed for at least another month. This could be quite an issue for Portugal, tourism counted as 8.7% of Portugal’s GDP just last year.
Exception for Travel Restrictions to Portugal
There is some travel allowed for countries in the EU and a few Portuguese speaking countries, but travel to and fro is still quite strict.
For those flights that are allowed, travelers must submit themselves to temperature checks and wear masks during flights and at the airport.
What to Expect if You Had Planned a Trip to Portugal
Honestly, things are up in the air. So far, the Portuguese government has been conservative in making decisions and it has worked wonders to curb the spread of Coronavirus here. Portugal needs tourism, and it will open up at some point, but if we start seeing a rise, I am pretty sure that borders and travel will remain closed.
The Portuguese government does not want to put a quarantine in place for tourism. However, Madeira and the Acores are fully closed due to the Corona virus’ effects there.
Portugal’s Clean & Safe Label
The Portuguese government is working laboriously so that the country does not lose out on this form of income. Turismo de Portugal has created a “Clean & Safe” initiative. If a business has this label, it means that it has successfully put into place the health protocols recommended by the Portuguese Health Department and ASAE. It means they are compliant with safety measures put in place due to COVID-19. It is said that over 4,000 businesses have already applied for this program.
I’ll update this post as news from the government come out. If you happen to hear something new, leave a comment to let us know.