Portugal is no longer part of the UK Green List. From 8 June 2021, British travelers who wish to travel to Portugal and holiday there must quarantine in the United Kingdom upon their return.
Portugal will join the amber list, meaning British holiday goers are advised against going to Portugal, and if they do, they must self-isolate for ten days upon returning. According to the UK government, the move entails “a safety-first approach,” much to the disgruntlement of the Portuguese tourism industry.
To avoid a repeat of last autumn’s destructive second wave of COVID-19 infections, the UK government used several decisive factors to determine which countries are safe for British holiday goers to travel to. Factors like vaccination rates, the prevalence of COVID-19, and the analysis of the genome of the virus were taken into account.
The removal of Portugal means that the UK green list will, from Tuesday, consist of Australia, Brunei, the Falkland Islands, the Faroe Islands, Gibraltar, Iceland, Israel, New Zealand, Singapore, South Georgia, and South Sandwich Islands and St Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha.
