The Portuguese authorities are considering changing the rules for entering the country after the recommendation of European Union member states to remove additional entry restrictions for people with a valid vaccination certificate.
EU countries have reached a joint agreement to lift additional travel restrictions for individuals with a valid COVID-19 vaccination document showing they have been vaccinated or have recovered from the virus, according to SchengenVisaInfo.com.
According to Portugal News, a source from the office of the Minister of International Management told Lusa: “As always, the government will consider possible adjustments to the rules in force in the national legislative framework, taking into account the content of this recommendation, as well as the development of the epidemiological situation in Portugal.”
The Council of the EU has introduced a new recommendation to facilitate the travel process in the context of the COVID-19 situation, according to which coronavirus measures should be applied taking into account the health of passengers, and not the epidemiological situation in their country of departure, except for high-risk countries.
The decision means that passengers from other countries will face more relaxed entry rules when traveling to EU countries, provided they have completed the immunization process against the virus.
“This means that having been vaccinated, tested or recovered from COVID-19, as verified by a valid EU COVID digital certificate, should be a key determinant for the traveler. A person-based approach would greatly simplify applicable regulations and provide additional clarity and predictability for travelers.” , said the Council of the EU.
In addition, on the same day, 1 February, Member States will reduce the validity of vaccination documents to 270 days.
From December 1, 2021, all travelers from other countries arriving in Portugal are required to present a negative holiday or recovery document upon arrival.
Earlier, the Portuguese Ministry of Internal Administration (MAI) emphasized that over the past two months, more than 2,500 travelers have been fined when they try to enter Portugal without presenting a negative test for COVID-19.
Portugal has recorded a total of 2,254,583 cases of COVID-19 infection and 19,613 deaths since the start of the pandemic, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
According to the same source, more than 347,600 cases of infection have been registered in Portugal in the past seven days, and 279 people have died from this virus.
Despite the current situation with COVID-19, data provided by the European statistical agency Eurostat shows that in December Portugal performed better in travel compared to other EU countries.