Portugal criticizes Britain’s decision to keep it off safe travel list, says move ‘not backed by facts’

Lisbon has criticized Britain’s decision to persist with a quarantine regime for travelers from Portugal. The government regretted a move “that is neither substantiated nor backed by the facts,” Portuguese Foreign Minister Augusto Santos Silva tweeted on Friday.

The need for holidaymakers returning to Britain from Portugal to quarantine for 14 days has particularly affected the southern Algarve region, popular among Britons.

Other European nations including Ireland, Belgium and Finland have also imposed travel restrictions on Portugal. However, Spain has stayed on the UK safe list, despite a sharp increase in new cases, Reuters reported.

In a contrasting move, Norway will re-impose a 10-day quarantine requirement for people arriving from Spain from Saturday after a surge in coronavirus cases there, the government said on Friday. Oslo will also ease restrictions on people coming from more counties of Sweden.