The government has extended until the end of February the Covid-19 control measures applied to flights from China, which include random testing of passengers on arrival and a mandatory negative test on boarding.
The decision is contained in an order published this Thursday in Diário da República, which extends the previous order from January 6 to 23:59 on February 28.
In practice, passengers arriving in Portugal on flights from China will continue to be subject to selective but mandatory Covid-19 testing upon arrival.
In addition, they will be required to present a negative PCR or TRAg (rapid antigen) test at least 48 hours before the start of their flight to Portugal upon boarding.
Among the planned measures are also the monitoring of wastewater at the Humberto Delgado International Airport in Lisbon and on aircraft from China in order to identify the virus that causes covid-19 and subsequent genome sequencing.
The adoption of these measures at the beginning of the year came after the recommendation of the European Union on this matter, after the unprecedented wave of SARS-CoV-2 infections that occurred in China, when the authorities abandoned the so-called “covid”. zero policy.
A statement released this Thursday said the World Health Organization (WHO) has determined “the world continues to experience a public health emergency of international concern” due to covid-19, warning of “the need to maintain preventive measures, careful surveillance and control regarding the transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.”
Among the recommendations issued by the WHO director-general, “highlighted the need to continue to take measures related to international travel based on risk assessment,” the document said, noting that the epidemiological situation in China “has not changed” since January.
The order was signed by Foreign Ministers Joao Gomes Cravinho, Interior Minister José Luis Carneiro, Health Minister Manuel Pizarro, Infrastructures Joao Galamba and Secretary of State for European Affairs Thiago Antunes.
Author: Portuguese
Source: CM Jornal
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