Portugal could be added back on to the UK’s quarantine list due to a rise in Covid-19 cases.
There were 21.1 coronavirus cases per 100,000 people in Portugal in the seven days to August 30, up from 19.4 in the seven days to August 29.
A seven-day rate of 20 Covid-19 cases per 100,000 people is the threshold above which the UK Government considers triggering quarantine conditions.
Searches for flights to Portugal soared after the country was removed from the UK’s quarantine list just over a week ago.
Passengers arriving in the UK from Portugal no longer had to self-isolate from 4am on Saturday August 22 after an approved travel corridor was confirmed.
Google search data showed a significant spike in searches for the term “flights to Portugal” by users in the UK at around 6pm on Thursday August 20, the day the news about Portugal was announced.
A number of easyJet flights from London airports to destinations across Portugal on the weekend of Saturday August 22 were already unavailable on the Friday.
Jet2 was among the airlines aiming to capitalise on the rush, adding extra seats to Faro from Monday August 24 from across the UK.
Travellers returning from Switzerland, Jamaica and the Czech Republic were the latest to be told they must quarantine for 14 days if they were arriving in the UK after 4am on Saturday following spikes in coronavirus infection rates.
Meanwhile, all passengers who were on a flight to Wales from the Greek island of Zante have been told to self-isolate after some of those travelling tested positive for Covid-19 .
At least seven positive cases have been identified among three different parties on the Tui flight 6215 to Cardiff on August 25, according to Public Health Wales.
Health officials said all passengers on board the flight are now being considered close contacts and must self-isolate.
Dr Giri Shankar, of Public Health Wales, said passengers were being contacted but must quarantine at home in the meantime, as they could become infectious even without symptoms.
