By Catarina Demony
Passengers arriving in Portugal from Britain must quarantine for 14 days from Monday if they are not fully vaccinated against Covid-19, the Portuguese government said.
The new rule will remain in place until at least July 11. It follows a surge in cases in Portugal to levels last seen in February, when it was under a strict lockdown.
Daily positive cases have also risen in Britain but the vaccination roll-out has been faster there, and a much higher proportion of adult Britons have received a first dose.
Britons arriving by air, land or sea must show proof they are fully vaccinated or self-isolate for 14 days "at home or at a place indicated by health authorities", the government said in a statement late on Sunday.
A person is considered fully vaccinated in Portugal 14 days after their second of two vaccinations, or the Johnson & Johnson single-dose vaccine. Passengers from Britain who have recovered from Covid-19 and received one dose will also be allowed in.
Britain is one of Portugal's biggest sources of foreign tourists but removed Portugal from its quarantine-free travel list this month. Germany declared Portugal a "virus-variant zone" last week, a measure that will further disrupt travel.
Portugal is on Britain's amber list, meaning holidaymakers must self-isolate for 10 days when they return home and take expensive Covid-19 tests.
Portuguese health authorities have blamed the rise in infections on the more contagious Delta variant, first identified in India but spreading in Portugal and Britain.
It accounts for over 70% of cases in the Lisbon area and is spreading to other parts of the country, which has the EU's second highest seven-day rolling average of cases per capita, according to online publication Our World in Data.
Portugal opened borders to British tourists in mid-May and thousands of English soccer fans arrived for the Champions League final last month.
(Reporting by Catarina Demony; Additional reporting by Philip Blenkinsop; Editing by Kirsten Donovan and Timothy Heritage)