To cope with the explosion of COVID-19 cases, Portugal has banned its population from non-essential trips abroad from this Sunday and for 15 days.
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This ban includes a few rare exceptions such as international professional activities, medical emergencies, the transport of goods or family reunification, said the Portuguese Ministry of the Interior.
According to data collected by AFP, Portugal is the country hardest hit in the world by COVID-19, in proportion to its population of 10 million.
The balance sheet of the pandemic thus amounts to more than 12,000 deaths, nearly half of which have occurred since the beginning of the year during a third virulent wave, when the country was subjected on January 15. to a second general confinement.
By land, border controls between the country and Spain have been re-established and crossing points have been limited.
In Elvas, one of the main crossing points, located some 200 km east of Lisbon, dozens of motorists were checked on Sunday morning by the Portuguese gendarmerie and border service, noted a AFP journalist.
With regard to flights from the European Union and the Schengen area, Portugal has implemented three categories of measures depending on the number of coronavirus cases per 100,000 inhabitants.
Passengers from less affected countries like Norway have no restrictions. Those from intermediate countries like France must present a negative test for COVID-19 within 72 hours on boarding.
Finally, travelers from countries with the most cases such as Spain or Ireland must not only present a negative test on boarding, but also respect a quarantine of 14 days upon their arrival on Portuguese territory.
Portugal has also suspended all its flights with the United Kingdom and Brazil due to the detection of new strains of the virus.