Portugal is one of the few countries re-opening to tourists… well, most tourists.
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Largely Unaffected By Coronavirus
By in large, Portugal was largely unaffected by coronavirus. Neighbors Italy, Spain and France didn’t fare as well. Italy was known as the epicenter of COVID-19 in Europe and at one point had the most cases outside of China. Spain and France have also had large outbreaks but by comparison, Portugal had just under 32,000 confirmed cases and just under 1,400 deaths.
Portugal Welcomes Most Tourists
While Portugal welcomes just about everyone back to the country, Spain is closed by land border for a few more weeks. Spaniards will have land access from June 15th. TAP Portugal has already opened flights to London and Paris, EasyJet has also resumed flying to a limited number of European cities.
Brazil has already been welcomed back to the western Iberian peninsula despite one of the world’s highest cases of coronavirus outbreaks and still rising numbers. Visitors from the United States are also welcome, home to the most confirmed cases of the disease.
Spain is (as of Friday morning) fourth on the list but just a few thousand cases behind Italy, though Portugal and Spain share a significant land border. France and Germany fall directly behind Portugal respectively.
What Could This Mean For the Rest of Europe?
Europe faces a unique challenge with traditionally open borders between countries, land access for visitors driving between the countries, extensive rail service, and frequent flights from within the continent and beyond. What made Portugal’s exposure different from nearby Spain and France?
The land that connects them could be considered a larger challenge than outsiders arriving a few hundred at a time from the outside. It suggests to me that the permeability of European borders is part of the challenge. Students, business people, and tourists crossing borders at whim is a concern.
What speaks to broader implication is the ability for European Union members to pick and choose which neighboring countries they will and will not accept. One reason Italians are able to visit Portugal (more cases than Spain) could be due to the timing of those cases. Italy was the second country to experience significant and severe cases but is ready to open next week. Spain was later to the crisis and therefore, it may hold safety concerns for a safe re-opening.
Could others open selectively with respect to other European Union members?
Conclusion
Portugal navigated coronavirus better than its peers and is ready to re-open, something that should be celebrated. The implications of to whom and when the nation re-opens lingers and Spain is currently excluded from that list. Other nations within the European Union may follow suit or set their own course.
What do you think? Should Portugal keep its border with Spain closed longer? Should they exclude other nations that pose a higher risk? Should EU nations open to some but not all within the region?
Salivating for some arroz de pato and fresh caught bacalao dishes?
Very risky idea. In these times, many intra-schengen flights arrive or depart in the non-schengen area.
Lately I have been on a flight ZRH-FRA and it arrived in FRA in the non-schengen area and I needed to go through full Passport control including a lot of questions regarding the reasons for my trip (Swiss Citizen). If this would happen to you on your LIS-CDG/FRA/ZRH flight, you would be sent straight back to Portugal and a high bill would await you.
@Kyle @Matthew
It would be interesting to hear your thoughts on future airline business modes in times of Corona. I guess more people start to chose direct flights instead of connecting. There’s a smaller chance of catching Corona (two packed flights instead of one). Additionally I can’t imagine anything worse than connecting at DXB or other airports during peak hours. Of course demand remains for certain routes but many might become redundant. I’m personally considering smaller airports and only direct flights for the immediate future. I would love to hear sour thoughts.
One country in Europe opening up to Americans means all of Europe will be. All you have to do is fly to Lisbon and connect to central Europe (possibly on a separate flight). Those flights won’t be sent through passport control so everyone will have free range in Europe.
I doubt that most people would use such a loophole in the system. Flights to the US from Portugal most likely don’t make economic sense without connecting traffic. And as long as Europeans aren’t allowed in the US I can’t imagine any airline increasing Atlantic traffic.
Portugal will only be one among many countries where Americans will be able to travel to (Greece and Spain as well). Portugal has been a popular destination in the past couple of years so flying 3 weekly rotations each to EWR, MIA and SFO would definitely work. Also, flying a 330 with 70 pax onboard will still be cheaper than having it stored.
About half of European countries will probably be available for Americans and those trying to keep Americans out (Germany, Switzerland, France etc.) won’t be able to, if opportunities like this exist. Yes, a 70 year old couple who was trying to go on a river cruise in Europe won’t be doing this but anyone who had a trip planned and is bored to travel will certainly do this.
@Skaner,
Until the Schengen Zone opens to non-essential travel, no Americans will be traveling to Europe for tourism, unless they have a second EU passport.
At this point, I think the EU should ban Americans from traveling to the Schengen Zone for the entire summer, unless there is evidence the virus is weakening in the U.S. and no longer causing severe disease.
Most European countries have contained the virus while the entire U.S. is still facing a raging epidemic.
Please don’t be selfish and reinfect Europe.
Maybe try Epcot this summer?
9 EU countries have higher death rates than the US per capita. The R0 in the US is below 1.0 in all but about 4 US states (and just a tad above in those). Most states are on the backside of the peak and many have had relatively low serious and fatal rates. So no, the Rona isn’t “raging” in the US.
Portugal is allowing Brazilians to enter – and the virus is indeed raging still in Brazil.
Then you have Sweden where things are not at all stable.
@James
I have dual citizenship so obviously we’re going but you know why some of these countries start acting irrational and will open up to outsiders
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Until June 15th only EU, EEA and UK nationals can enter the Shengen area – hence Portugal.
The information this post is exposing is not accurate, even the source cited (Reuters) clearly states that flights are allowed from certain countries outside of the EU, as has been the case since the outbreak began.
However Portugal is allowing EU nationals to enter the country freely again, which is not the case in most of the EU yet.
Kyle,
I think it’s important to remember that while most EU countries have contained their epidemics, the U.S. has not — just look at the data. Small U.S. states like New Jersey are recording more new cases in a day than large EU member states like Italy and France. It is irresponsible for Americans — who may be pre-symptomatic — to attempt to travel to the EU this summer unless the U.S. epidemic quickly improves. And it will likely remain impossible: unless the EU lifts its ban on non-essential travel on June 15th, Americans — and everyone else that’s not a EU citizen — will not be welcome for leisure travel. Moreover, even if the Schengen Zone does lift its ban on non-essential travel after June 15th, it’s quite likely Americans will remain banned, while the Japanese, Australians, and Koreans are welcome to return.
I hold a second EU passport and might travel to Europe this summer, but I’m a citizen and that’s my right. Do I want thousands of U.S. tourists infecting the EU member states once again? No. Please wait.
By the same token, if U.S. cases dramatically decline — or there is some evidence that the virus no longer causes severe disease in the U.S. — then I would welcome U.S. tourists back to Europe.
We live in the US and have a summer trip planned to Europe. The rest of my family have EU passports. I have both a US and UK passport. I hadn’t really thought about the logistics of entry bans, but do you think will I be an impediment for my family entering the EU? It seems like a UK passport should still work for many countries inside Schengen until year-end unless its specifically banned.
Until the Brexit transition is over — end of the year at earliest — you are an EU citizen like your family. You should be fine. We should all be held to the same standard as EU citizens visiting from the U.S.
I will make my plans to fly to Portugal in August. Desperately wanting to escape the U.S .
Plan to be gone 3 months, so hoping I can add another country. Quite willing to self quarantine for 14 days if necessary. It would be so worth it to get away.
Thank you for spending your travel dollars in Europe! I hope you’ll be able to make the trip.
This is not accurate. Portugal is allowing flights to operate from most countries into it’s airports, but this does not mean it’s nationals are allowed to enter.
As a Schengen area member it must abide to EU rules, which still bans all non-EU/EEA/UK citizens from entering it until June 15th unless it’s essential travel (no tourism allowed). This obviously includes Americans and Brazilians, which is also why TAP Air Portugal has a very limited number of flights on these routes, local demand is not enough to justify increased frequencies.
Happy to be flying away from the UK and back in my favorite European country Portugal. Arriving on a Wizz Air jet tomorrow 4th June. Lovely.