The Portuguese government has described the UK’s decision to remove the country from its green list of approved destinations as “unfathomable” while tourism bosses have said the “unfair” move is likely to affect the summer season. Thursday’s decision is expected to trigger a rush for flights home to Britain before the restrictions are introduced over the coming days. The downgrading comes amid concern over the rising number of coronavirus cases in Portugal, which received a huge surge in holiday bookings after it was placed on the UK’s green list last month. “We take note of the British decision to remove Portugal from the travel ‘green list’, a decision whose logic is unfathomable,” it said in an unusually strongly worded statement. Rise in casesOn Thursday, Portugal registered 769 new cases of Covid-19 – almost double the average of 370 daily cases recorded at the beginning of May.

Source: The Irish Times June 04, 2021 08:48 UTC