Portugal maintains travel restrictions to Brazil; Foreign Ministry confirms 3rd return flight

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Portugal will maintain travel restrictions to and from Brazil until at least Easter, Prime Minister António Costa said on Thursday, March 11th.

The Portuguese government suspended direct flights to Brazil in late January because of new variants of the coronavirus.

This week, the Portuguese government extended restrictions also to flights with stopovers in Brazil, a “loophole” that was used before to bypass the blockade.

All travelers passing through Brazil, the UK or South Africa will need to provide a negative Covid-19 test, which must have been performed 72 hours before travel. A 14-day quarantine is also mandatory upon landing.

The Portuguese Prime Minister also announced the closure of the land border with Spain to contain the spread of Covid-19.

Return to Brazil

With the lack of direct flights, hundreds of Brazilians have been struggling to return to their country.

The Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed a 3rd extraordinary commercial flight between Lisbon and Guarulhos. Two other such flights – which are paid for by travelers but negotiated by the government – have already been performed between February and March.

“Interested parties should deal directly with TAP about booking or the potential reuse of airline tickets,” said the Brazilian Foreign Ministry in a statement.

Source: G1

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