Portugal Is Now Open to Americans With Negative COVID Test

The Portuguese government has announced that as of June 15, the country is welcoming all travelers from the United States. According to the U.S. Embassy & Consulate in Portugal, as of Tuesday, non-essential (i.e., tourist travel) from the United States to mainland Portugal is permitted for travelers with proof of a negative COVID-19 test.

All travelers two years of age and older must submit a negative SARSCoV-2 lab result of a nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT), for example a PCR test, performed within 72 hours or a rapid antigen test (TRAg), performed within 24 hours of boarding. This measure, the Embassy notes, will be reviewed every two weeks and currently expires midnight on June 27 unless it is renewed.

With that said, there are still restrictions in place throughout Portugal. Seating at cafes and restaurants is limited to groups of six indoors and 10 outdoors; there is a mandatory closure at 1 a.m. All sports facilities are open at 33 percent, while all cinemas, theaters, museums, conference centers and cultural centers are open to the public and are operating at 50 percent capacity.

At the beach, mandatory use of masks at access points to and while moving on the beach (on land). Masking is not required when stationary on your towel and social distancing between other groups is required.

Requirements for the Azores and Madeira

Passengers aged 12 and older arriving to the Azores—even on domestic flights from outside the Azores—must provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken 72 hours prior to departure, proof of recovery from the disease or must test upon arrival and remain in isolation until the results are known. Travelers who wish to remain in the Azores for more than seven days, will be required to test again on the sixth day.

Anyone arriving to Madeira—even on domestic flights from outside Madeira—must either provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken 72 hours prior to departure or provide proof of vaccination or recovery from the disease.

Good to know: Visit Alentejo, which represents the South of Portugal, between the Tagus River and the Algarve, reports that direct flights are resuming on TAP Portugal, United Airlines, Azores Airlines and Delta from U.S. gateway cities.

According to The New York Times, 44 percent of the population in Portugal has received at least one dose of the COVID vaccine, while 23 percent is fully vaccinated. There are eight new cases daily per 100,000 people but there has been a 46 percent increase in cases over the last 14-day period. 

This article originally appeared on www.travelagentcentral.com.

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