Portugal slams UK government's 'absurd' decision to leave it off quarantine-free list

The United Kingdom, on July 3, released a list of nations, visitors from which would be exempted from quarantine if they enter the British territory. According to international media reports, the new move comes into effect from July 10. The list of countries which are excluded from the list are Portugal, US, China, Sweden, Maldives amongst others. While those included are Turkey, Cyprus, Austria, Barbados, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zeland and Vietnam. 

'Senseless' 

The decision has, in particular, irked Portugal. Speaking to international media reporters, the country's foreign affairs minister Augusto Santos Silva remarked that Portugal's exclusion from the list was simply absurd.  Speaking to a British Media outlet, Silva said that excluding Portugal from the list was "absurd and senseless". Asserting that the UK had seven times more cases than Portugal, he said it wasn't the way allies are treated. 

The UK government on Jun 3 lifted quarantine requirements for people arriving from 59 countries, except for China, US, Sweden and Portugal. "The government is satisfied that it is now safe to ease these measures in England and has introduced travel corridors for some countries and territories," the UK's Department for Transport said. "This applies to all travel to England, by train, ferry, coach, air or any other route," it added. 

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Meanwhile, the British PM has announced that ‘local lockdowns’ could be introduced if COVID-19 continues to spread rapidly across the nation. According to the Johns Hopkins University tally, the UK has over 2,85,000 confirmed coronavirus cases and the deadly virus has claimed nearly 44,216 lives in the nation. With a surge in new cases, Boris Johnson said that the government might shut down business venues and schools again. On the other hand, Portugal which is dealing with loss in tourism revenue has reported 43,569  cases and 1,605 fatalities till now. 

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