Portugal will open its doors to tourists from Monday

Starting next week, Portugal will allow tourist trips from most European countries, hoping to give a boost to the troubled sector of critical importance to its economy.

The authorities said that, as of Monday, they would allow "all kinds of trips", including "non-essential", from most European countries that have recorded a rate of infection with the Coronavirus "less than 500 per 100,000 people during the last two weeks."

Travel restrictions, which are limited to essential travel, are imposed on visitors from only eight countries, including five from the European Union, namely Cyprus, Croatia, Lithuania, the Netherlands and Sweden, in addition to South Africa, Brazil and India.

A spokesman for the Ministry of the Interior stated that "restrictions remain in place on the rest of the countries," whose travelers are only allowed to visit Portugal on essential trips.

Permissible essential travel relates to professional or health reasons, study, and family reunification.

 On Friday, Portugal allowed receiving tourists from the United Kingdom, after it lifted restrictions in effect since early January to contain the outbreak of Covid-19.