After 77 days of suspension, the government of Portugal authorized the return of commercial flights to or from Brazil. However, travelers remain subject to a mandatory quarantine of 14 days after their arrival in Portuguese territory. The release is only valid for trips considered essential. The entry ban for Brazilian tourists to Portugal has been in effect since March 2020.
According to the document, essential trips are those intended to allow the transit or entry of citizens for professional, study, family reunification, health or humanitarian reasons.
In addition to completing isolation, passengers must submit a negative PCR test for Covid, to be performed 72 hours before departure. The quarantine for those coming from Brazil is also valid for those arriving via a flight with a connection to another country or across the land border with Spain.
The confinement period can be completed at home, but it is mandatory to inform, on the specific platform created by the government, the address and contact details. The decision, announced on Friday (16), is valid for 15 days and can be renewed or suspended.
Airlines that operate direct flights between Brazil and Portugal – Tap, Azul and Latam – have yet to release information about the resumption of flights. Air links between Portugal and Brazil have been suspended since January 29, as the European country went through its worst moment of the pandemic.
Although direct flights were banned, the government continued to allow entry of Brazilians through alternative routes, with connections to other countries, mainly France and Switzerland. This week, however, the suspension of flights with Brazil by the French government ended one of the main options.
When the border was first closed in March 2020, most of the affected Brazilians were tourists surprised by the worsening health situation. This time, however, immigrants have been hit the hardest. Many have lost their jobs due to the pandemic and are already without money to stay in Europe, needing help from NGOs and religious entities.
Although some extraordinary repatriation flights were carried out during the period when the ban was in effect, the number of trips was insufficient. The high cost of special flights also prevented many Brazilians from boarding.
With France’s announcement of restrictions on travelers from Brazil on Tuesday (13), the country is adding entry barriers imposed in an attempt to contain the advance of the Covid-19 pandemic – in particular, the Brazilian variant of the virus – in at least 22 nations, according to a survey based on IATA (International Air Transport Association) data.
Data updated through Wednesday (14) relate only to countries that have adopted specific measures against Brazil. Thus, countries like China, for example, which have more generally closed their borders, are excluded from the survey.
COUNTRIES IMPROVING BARRIERS IN BRAZIL
Germany Saudi Arabia Argentina Austria Bangladesh Vatican City Colombia Spain United States France Netherlands Iran Italy Japan Morocco Oman Pakistan Peru United Kingdom San Marino Saint Martin Turkey