UK government's Portugal travel ban lifted after two months

Direct travel to and from the country was banned by the government on 15 January owing to Portugal’s "strong travel links" with Brazil where a new Covid-19 "variant of concern" had been identified.

From 15 February, travellers arriving in the UK from Portugal have been required to self-isolate for 10 days in government-appointed hotel quarantine facilities.

However, the Department for Transport (DfT) on Monday (15 March) said it would remove Portugal, and Mauritius, from the red list at 4am on Friday (19 March).

"The risk of importing a variant of concern from these destinations has reduced," said the DfT in a statement, adding: "Portugal has put steps in place to mitigate the risk from its links with countries where variants have become a concern, and now has genomic surveillance in place."

It means the direct flight and maritime ban on Portugal, as well as Madeira and the Azores, has been lifted.