Ryanair condemned last Friday the “bizarre” decision of the United Kingdom to remove Portugal from the “green list” of international travel, underlining that the decision “has no scientific or public health basis”.
Ryanair regrets the decision, considering that “75% of UK adults have already received a vaccine” against Covid-19 and also that “vaccination rates in Portugal are rapidly recovering UK levels, with more than 40% of adults in Portugal” already vaccinated.
Boris Johnson’s government is again mismanaging the Covid recovery.
Michael O’Leary, Ryanair’s CEO
Portugal’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Augusto Santos Silva, considered that it is necessary that “British friends” understand that the epidemiological situation in Portugal is under control.
“The job ahead of us is to help our British friends to better understand that the pandemic situation in Portugal is quite reasonable”, stressed Santos Silva in an interview.
“The inconsistency in decision-making, this lack of coordination seen in the past could, once again, ruin the high season of the tourism sector in Europe, particularly in Portugal.” warned MEP Cláudia Monteiro de Aguiar.
British tourists deserve an explanation
“UK citizens who have already booked travel to Portugal deserve an explanation why vaccinated UK citizens are required to quarantine when returning from a country that has similarly low Covid case rates as the UK. Transport Minister Shapps should also explain why those countries such as Malta, or Islands such as the Balearics and the Canaries, who have significantly lower Covid case rates than the UK, have not been added to the UK Green List to allow UK families a well-earned holiday in June, July and August, particularly when those UK families have already been vaccinated.” said Michael O’Leary, Ryanair’s CEO.
Over this weekend thousands of British tourist started leaving Portugal in order to beat Tuesday’s deadline for a new quarantine imposed by Johnson’s government.
