Every indication is that many are ignoring Boris and are determined to still have their summer break in Portugal despite what Boris says. Since Portugal was taken off the green list, Faro airport is receiving around 15 to 20 flights a day from throughout the UK. Many visitors from the UK are saying they won’t take self-isolation for ten days seriously when they return home. They won’t allow Boris to rob them of their holiday in the sun.
Portugal’s tourism chiefs are not just protesting to the UK Government but also taking practical steps to make travel to Portugal easier. From the beginning of this week, UK travellers no longer need to present a PCR test on arrival to Portugal. Visitors can now use a lateral flow test to enter - which is free of charge.
The Portugal News contacted every UK MP protesting what the government has done to Portugal, and we are receiving positive responses. Chris Grayling MP replied, “Thank you for your message. Just to reassure you that many colleagues and I are pushing hard to get the restrictions lifted and were very unhappy about last week’s announcement”.
Sammy Wilson MP replied to us, “This is a matter of grave concern to me and indeed I raised this issue with the Health Minister in Parliament only this week. I was not very happy with his response and I suspect that the real reason why Portugal was removed was nothing to do with health and all to do with politics around coronavirus policies.
“I note that only 1.5% of people returning from Portugal actually tested positive, that the rate of infections per 100,000 is lower in Portugal than it is in the UK and yet your country is deemed to be a country which presents a risk. I do not think that there is any medical reasons for removing Portugal from the green list and I suspect that this has all to do with the Government’s policy of trying to stop people from travelling at all. I think that they had hoped that the cost of tests etc would dissuade people from travelling abroad for their holidays when they found how popular Portugal was once it was placed on the green list and I am fairly certain they were concerned that this would lead to demands for other countries being opened as well. The one way of killing off any future demand for holidays abroad was to disrupt people’s holidays in the way that they have done, but unfortunately of course it has huge implications for Portugal and for the tourist industry there.
My view is that we now have got to grips with this virus and restrictions should be lifted so that people can lead their normal lives and enjoy travel abroad as they had been doing for many years before the coronavirus epidemic. I hope this explains my position”.
There is no shortage of gossip around Westminster, one website reported “Robert Jenrick was the cabinet minister shoved in front of cameras last Friday to explain the government's decision to remove Portugal from the green list and plonk it on the amber list. The move wouldn't be immediate, he explained, so holidaymakers already in Portugal who wanted to return easily had a chance to do so – giving them four days to make their arrangements and get back in an 'orderly manner'.
Why the Tuesday morning cut-off? And why was this deadline of any interest to the Secretary of State for Housing? Could it have anything to do with the talk around Westminster that Jenrick's own family had taken a little half-term holiday to Portugal themselves?”
This can’t be substantiated, but it does show that Boris is not seeing much, if any, support for removing Portugal from the ‘green list’.
From July 1, fully vaccinated EU tourists will be able to travel restriction-free. With the new EU vaccine passport, residents will avoid tests and quarantines if they have been fully vaccinated for 14 days or more.
Some popular vacation destinations are already relaxing the rules, destinations like Spain, France, Cyprus or Greece are allowing fully vaccinated Britons to enter without restrictions.
This week the Transport Secretary Grant Shapps urged patience to people hoping to travel on holiday to European countries. He revealed the green list for foreign holidays could be expanded very soon. Mr Shapps told the Financial Times: “I don’t think people have a very long time to wait before other countries are able to join the green list.” Don’t hold your breath!
The Delta variant of Covid-19 is growing exponentially in England and Boris seems to want to find countries to blame, but many commentators in the UK claim that if Boris had acted more quickly to put India in the red zone this could have been contained. Why didn’t he? Is this related to the fact that he wanted to travel to India to try and close a major trade deal. It took him several days to finally agree not to go to India and to put it on the red list. Those were critical days.
Boris seems to change his mind on a lot of things, sadly, the only thing he may be slow to change his mind on is putting Portugal back on the ‘green light’ list, no doubt not least as he would have to allow other safe destinations back on the list as well, and that doesn’t suit his current agenda to try and stop people taking holidays outside the UK. I discovered yesterday that this is coming at a high price for the UK. I heard from a business colleague who lives in Cornwall, he emailed me yesterday “Gazumping is rife, not only on house sales but also on holiday lettings…you may think you’ve booked your holiday cottage but if someone else comes along with more cash then…” We don’t do that to visitors to Portugal!
Following the announcement on Monday of the delay in the end of the lockdown, Tuesdays front page on The Telegraph, (known in the trade as the in-house magazine of the tory party) said “It’s definitely July 19…unless it’s not”. That’s from a Boris supporting newspaper, Says it all.
Keep writing to your MP’s, every evidence suggests a lot of them are very supportive of Portugal.
Click here to read about how to lobby your MP to get Portugal back on the green list.
Resident in Portugal for 50 years, publishing and writing about Portugal since 1977. Privileged to have seen, firsthand, Portugal progress from a dictatorship (1974) into a stable democracy.

Anyone here heard of the strategy “Divide and Conquer” ?
I sure hope so as it’s about time to...
It’s all about the separation of human beings as if we are guinea pigs.
This way it’s easier to control all of us.
Their game has now been exposed.
There is no way back.
Have you awoken yet ?
I sure hope so for your sake...
By Carlos S. from Lisbon on 15 Jun 2021, 13:52
Well said Carlos S.
Also have a look at this 'prison camp' at Heathrow:
By Ana from Algarve on 15 Jun 2021, 16:23
TOSH!
By simon from Madeira on 15 Jun 2021, 16:25
It is fine for Brits to go to Portugal. Since Portugal has such a low level of Covid 19,
But that is not the issue.
Delta variant of Covid 19 spread fast in UK.
UK postpone the removing of resrictions 4 weeks.
The issue is that Portugal does not wnat non vacinated person as tourtist.
Please try to understand, that travelling to Portugal is not an UK issue.
It is a Portugal issus. UK can no behaive as the want, and impact other contries
Portugal should require proof of vaccination. End of story. Do not care about UK green list.
By Gustav from Algarve on 15 Jun 2021, 16:56
Just how sloppy can the Portugal News get? A few facts would have helped. For instance how many people were on the 15-20 flights. More than the 38 on yesterday's flight from Glasgow? Or more than the 21 on todays flight from Aberdeen? Don't know eh?
"Many" people won't take quarantining seriously. How many is many? Got any numbers, testimony with names? Nah. Of course not.
Of the 650 MPs you contacted, it seems you got a response from 2. Congrats.
The Delta variant is growing exponentially in the UK! So why the hell do you want them here. You'll have enough infections when Lisbon and Val de Tejo decamps to the Algarve in August.
Oh and as a point have you noticed yesterdays Covid report in the Pt. News. Almost a thousand new infections in a day! Well......
You don't like Boris! Who cares. His job is to look after his people, not the Portuguese, believe it or not that's the job of the Portuguese gov. They, and the Portugal News can bleat on all they like, it's falling on deaf ears in London. Looks like Pt will be a while before it's back on Green. Be patient, spend your time researching instead of guessing.
By Mike Towl from Algarve on 15 Jun 2021, 18:41
Carlos S, you are right! Divide and Conquer, that whats happend and people not understand. Listen to this video, so very important for ALL to listen to!
By Liz from Lisbon on 15 Jun 2021, 19:30
Having failed to close the border with India soon enough, Boris placed Portugal on the green list purely with the intention of removing it. In order to prove to his critics that he was ‘tough’ on borders. Like many others, we’ll be spending the summer at our home in the Algarve and Boris can stick his isolation where the sun doesn’t shine
By Steve Ward from UK on 15 Jun 2021, 20:07
What a shameful biased newspaper.The invasion of Brits has seeded the Delta variant from north to south.
The vaccines are highly experimental with Luc Montagnier,the co discoverer of HIV warning about the dangers to the brain in the next 5 to 10 years and heavily against vaccinating children with an experimental drug.
Let's have an honest debate,enough of mainstream media silencing dissenting voices.
By James from Algarve on 15 Jun 2021, 20:41
Awoken? You're putting me to sleep....(yawn)
By William from Other on 16 Jun 2021, 01:30
Carlos S, you are right! Divide and Conquer, that whats happend and people not understand. Listen to this video, so very important for ALL to listen to!
By Liz from Lisbon on 16 Jun 2021, 07:46
Look at "heathrow isolation camp" on Youtube
By Ana from Algarve on 16 Jun 2021, 08:09
Carlos S, you are right! Divide and Conquer, that whats happend and people not understand. Look on the video on bitchute dot com and search for "A final warning to humanity from former Pfizer cheif scientist Michael Yeadon" the video is 57,52 long and worth every second of it.
By Liz from Lisbon on 16 Jun 2021, 08:19
What makes more sense is that the Portuguese government is concerned about strains coming in, but doesn't want to take the hit for damaging tourism, so has reached some agreement with Boris to be put on the restriction list so that UK gov takes the blame.
By Dirk from Porto on 16 Jun 2021, 09:37
I think Gustav is wise to be concerned about the Delta variant. I myself am very worried about the Pastel de Nata Variant (have you heard of divide and custard?) which I hear makes you break out in a horrible yellow and black rash. Nevertheless I will visit Portugal as soon as the mask mandates are relaxed regardless of the shattering risk!
By Philip from Other on 16 Jun 2021, 10:50
Liz, humanity will prevail.
We are One !
We are about to win big !
All shall be exposed, those lies, the deceit, the murder of the innocent with underlying conditions that were murdered in plain sight due to lack of care.
All shall be exposed.
Get ready for the great reveal !
By Carlos S. from Lisbon on 16 Jun 2021, 11:21
Carlos, Liz and Ana, we’ve got this !
The time is now.....
Their lies and games played on us will all be exposed.....
For more than one year they have broken us, imprisoned us in our own homes, restricted our God Given right to freedom, restricted our abilities to breathe freely and dare I say the truth : murdered us psychologically and physically.
Enough is Enough !
Humanity says NO MORE to our enslavement.
Humanity says NO MORE tyrannical treatment of our lives.
We do NOT give consent any longer !
Civil Disobedience it shall be !
Their end is forthcoming !
By Roger Suzuki from Lisbon on 16 Jun 2021, 11:32
Anyone heard of Milgran's experiment? Research it if not. It answers many questions. People need to WAKE UP! Go to sleep in a Democracy and wake up in a dictatorship!
By Diana Krogh from Beiras on 16 Jun 2021, 12:03
It’s my understanding that anyone using a lateral flow test coming to Portugal must use a private test not a free one as stated in your article. Earlier in the year Teresa Marquês said that Portugal would welcome vaccinated Brits without a test. Might this happen on July 1st?
By Hilary Holt from UK on 16 Jun 2021, 14:36
Wonderfully wonderful to hear that I am not alone. You think you are alone in understanding that everything that has been going on for more than a year is a big lie. It is very gratifying to see that we are several. I think we are more than we think, but people in general do not dare to say what they think and feel. We must believe that good wins. The awakening will take place, I hope it will happen soon so fewer people have time to take the poison injection and get serious illnesses because of it. Locking people up in this way to turn democracies into dictatorships is terrible. This is the greatest deception against humanity and our freedoms and rights. May this come to an end and the sleeping people wake up.
By Liz from Lisbon on 16 Jun 2021, 14:45
Don't call him Boris, he's not your friend he's Johnson.
By Mark Whiteley from UK on 16 Jun 2021, 16:25
I wasn't aware QAnon wrote op-eds for the Portugal News..Good to know.
Looking forward to the next installment titled: There are chips in vaccines, it's the Mark of the Beast!
By Elle from Porto on 16 Jun 2021, 21:24
Mike Towl is exactly right. The Portuguese government only has itself to blame. I visited Lisbon last Friday and was astonished to see an almost total disregard for the current restrictions by the Portuguese residents. Most of the people wearing masks were obviously tourists. There was no enforcement of the current rules by the many PSP on the streets. It is no surprise Lisbon is now in the situation it is, and the blame should be directed at the Portuguese government for the lack of political will to enforce the restrictions in place, shame on them and the PSP. Also, judging by the majority of comments here, The Portugal News provides the quality of journalism that matches its readers' intellect.
By Marco from Alentejo on 16 Jun 2021, 21:41
Roger, Carlos, Liz and Ana.....
The massive awakening of humanity has now commenced.
The veil of deception, lies and fraud is about to drop.
They have separated us for far too long.
Now its our turn to reverse the tables on them.
The laboratory conceived Covid was one step too far.
The absurdity of the rules and restrictions for all to see.
The massive awakening of humanity has now commenced.
It is now irreversible........Their downfall has begun.
Take back your power.
Stand your Ground !
By Angel M. from Porto on 16 Jun 2021, 23:30
Portugal is on par with the UK, the country where the Indian variant is rampant due to the irresponsibly of English football supporters and our government not having the balls to enforce proper behaviour, and a flight only to the game in and out as promised.
I hope the UK enforces quarantine in an hotel, paid by the perp pocket upon return.
Chavism at it's best....
By Rui F Ribeiro from Lisbon on 17 Jun 2021, 06:59
What virus ?
“Follow the money !“
Of course the formula 1 and football gets the green light !
What Social distancing ?
“Follow the money !”
Some things just never change.
...So it’s about time you and I be the change !
Don’t you think ?
By Gary from Alentejo on 17 Jun 2021, 13:40