Babak Belurs

Jumat, 04 Juni 2021

COVID-19: 'Panic' and 'devastation' for Britons in Portugal as country comes off travel green list - Sky News

Britons in Portugal who are scrambling to get back to the UK to beat next week's quarantine deadline face paying hundreds of pounds more for earlier flights.

Passengers arriving in Britain after 4am on Tuesday will need to self-isolate at home for 10 days after the government announced it was removing the southern European country from the green list and putting it on the amber list.

A seat on a Ryanair flight from the capital Lisbon to Manchester on Monday costs £339, whereas the same route is just £75 on Wednesday.

Also British Airways is charging £348 for flights from Faro to Heathrow on Sunday and Monday, but the price drops to £137 on Tuesday.

The UK's largest tour operator, Tui, said it has 9,500 customers in Portugal but that figure was already due to have fallen to 2,000 by Tuesday because of the end of half-term for schoolchildren.

The firm is allowing consumers to change dates, but is not offering refunds as the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office does not advise against travel to the country.

Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said positive COVID-19 cases had doubled in the last three weeks in Portugal.

But Britons living and holidaying in the EU nation and others who planned to visit soon have spoken of their panic and devastation following the change in travel status.

Lauren Dunne

Ms Dunne was due to come home from Portugal on Tuesday, and she has had to rebook for Sunday.

She told Sky News: "We panicked and booked a flight for tonight because we were so worried it would come in with immediate effect, and we can't self isolate. We've managed to move our flights to Sunday but we're still losing money on the hotel.

"It should just never have happened. The infection rate here is the same as the UK, especially in this part of Portugal. Why let us come in the first place if they were going to make us isolate?"

Michelle and Noel Brennan

The Brennans have a house in Portugal, and say they are "devastated" the country is going on to the amber list.

Michelle Brennan said: "I can't believe we're going through this again. It's just like last year, total chaos. It's just so sad."

Rogerio Martins

Mr Martins runs the Casa de Praia beach bar in Vilamoura.

He says 80% of his customers are British and "the decision to put Portugal on the amber list just doesn't make sense, the numbers aren't bad in this part of Portugal".

He added: "Things were just getting back to normal, I don't know how we'll cope now without our British customers."

Alexandra Teixeira

Ms Teixeira, from London, had been due to be reunited with her family in Portugal for the first time in 18 months but says her hopes were "crushed" at the last minute by the government's decision.

The retail worker said: "Portugal's status changing so last-minute has made everyone stressed.

"I was planning to go on Monday and decided to cancel it because Portugal got moved to the amber list.

"I work in retail so quarantining at home for 10 days after coming back isn't really an option."

Ms Teixeira, 24, said she is "sad and frustrated" at not being able to see her family after such a long time apart.

Simon Smith

Travellers have to take a COVID-19 test three days before their flight to the UK and this is leading to difficulties for Britons due to a reported lack of tests available.

Property developer Simon Smith from Stamford, Lincolnshire, is currently in the Lagos area with his wife and two young children.

He hopes they can fly home on Saturday, earlier than planned, but they have been unable to get tested despite visiting five medical centres and the region's main hospital.

He was turned away from one centre after it ran out of testing kits.

"There were about 35 people in the queue, all British, and they told us, 'the first 15 are okay, but the rest of you might as well go home because we don't have enough tests'," he said.

The family have been told the airport has a small amount of coronavirus tests available, so plan on turning up to their flight five hours early in the hopes of getting one.

"If we can't get that, we can't fly," he said. "I have meetings on Friday, I can't afford 10 days' quarantine, it is a joke."

Professor Henrique Barros

A Portuguese epidemiologist claimed the UK's decision to move Portugal to the amber tier was "an overreaction".

Professor Henrique Barros, president of Portugal's National Health Council, said the country's overall coronavirus situation is "relatively stable".

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2021-06-04 16:46:18Z
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'Nepal variant': What's the mutation stopping green list trips to Portugal? - BBC News

Portugal is to be removed from the UK's green list of countries that are safe to visit.

The government said it's partly down to the emergence of a "Nepal variant" - but such a variant has not been recognised by the World Health Organization (WHO). So, what's going on?

Why was Portugal removed from the green list?

Announcing Portugal's move to the amber list, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said there was a "Nepal mutation of the so-called Indian variant". He said it wasn't known whether it could be "vaccine defeating".

And speaking to the BBC, Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said the Indian variant was spreading and there was "growing evidence of a further mutation- what's become known as the Nepal variant".

The government said it did not want to take risks before the planned final easing of England's restrictions. Being on the amber list means UK tourists should not visit Portugal and returnees must isolate for 10 days.

Where is on the green list for holiday travel?

Is there a Nepal variant?

A mutated virus has been spotted in Nepal and elsewhere. But that doesn't mean a new variant of coronavirus has been found.

The WHO said it was "not aware of any new variant of SARS-CoV-2 being detected in Nepal", and the dominant variant there was the Delta or Indian variant.

A small number of cases of the Delta variant have been identified as having an extra mutation - called K417N.

The change is in the virus's distinctive spike protein and has been seen before, including in the so-called South African or Beta variant.

Samples of the Delta variant with this extra change have been spotted about 90 times worldwide. Of these, 12 cases were spotted in Portugal, 36 in the UK, 12 in the US and four in India.

It is not clear that 12 cases is enough to count as being "prevalent within Portugal", as Mr Jenrick claimed.

More up-to-date UK data from Public Health England suggests 43 cases have now been spotted through genetic analysis (a process called sequencing). The UK does a lot of genomic sequencing so is likely to find more cases than countries that do less.

The Wellcome Sanger Institute said it had been observed "once in Nepal (which does very little sequencing), and 14 times in Japan, of which 13 are samples from airport quarantine from travellers from Nepal".

When does a mutation become a variant?

Remember that viruses mutate constantly. When the changes are drastic enough, we start describing it as a new variant - like the Alpha variant identified in Kent, the Beta variant identified in South Africa and so on.

There is no scientifically agreed definition of when a mutation becomes a variant. We usually have to wait until a particular set of changes spreads enough that we can see a pattern.

Public health bodies and people who analyse or sequence the virus's genetic material investigate any changes to the virus.

If a distinctive set of changes, or variant, appears to be spreading better, making people sicker or resisting vaccines, then it will be upgraded to being a "variant of concern".

This hasn't happened with the mutation identified in Nepal and elsewhere, so far.

It is mentioned by Public Health England as a "spike mutation of interest", but it is not categorised as a variant.

Other mutations that didn't amount to new variants have been spotted in Egypt, Vietnam and Yorkshire.

In February, a small number of cases of the UK or Alpha variant were found with a mutation, called E484K, that is already seen in the South Africa variant. It was feared this change could reduce vaccine effectiveness, but the mutation never took off.

Will the Nepal mutation become a problem?

This change to the virus's spike protein is also seen in the Beta or South African variant.

It is thought to be part of why that variant is more resistant to vaccines.

"Because of this possibility, and because Delta appears more transmissible than Beta, scientists are monitoring it carefully," the Sanger Institute explained.

What other factors decide the green list?

As well as concerning variants, the government says it looks at factors including how many cases of coronavirus a country has.

Positive results in Portugal have nearly doubled since the last review, the government said, adding the situation "has required swift action to protect the gains made with the [UK] vaccine rollout".

Mr Jenrick said there had been a "doubling in positivity within three weeks, bringing Portugal to a much higher level than here in the UK".

Cases have risen considerably in Portugal over the last few weeks, but they are in fact only a little higher than in the UK (5.4 new cases per 100,000 compared with 5.1).

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'Nepal variant': What's the mutation stopping green list trips to Portugal? - BBC News

Portugal has been removed from the UK's green list of countries which are safe to visit.

The government said it's partly down to the emergence of a "Nepal variant" - but such a variant has not been recognised by the World Health Organization (WHO). So, what's going on?

Why was Portugal removed from the green list?

And speaking to the BBC, Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said the Indian variant was spreading and there was "growing evidence of a further mutation- what's become known as the Nepal variant".

Where is on the green list for holiday travel?

Is there a Nepal variant?

A mutated virus has been spotted in Nepal and elsewhere. But that doesn't mean a new variant of coronavirus has been found.

The WHO said it was "not aware of any new variant of SARS-CoV-2 being detected in Nepal", and the dominant variant there was the Delta or Indian variant.

A small number of cases of the Delta variant have been identified as having an extra mutation - called K417N.

The change is in the virus's distinctive spike protein and has been seen before, including in the so-called South African or Beta variant.

Samples of the Delta variant with this extra change have been spotted about 90 times. Of these, 12 cases were spotted in Portugal, 36 in the UK, 12 in the US and four in India.

When does a mutation become a variant?

Remember viruses mutate constantly. When the changes are drastic enough, we start describing it as a new variant - like the Alpha variant identified in Kent, the Beta variant identified in South Africa and so on.

There is no scientifically agreed definition of when a mutation becomes a variant. We usually have to wait until a particular set of changes spreads enough that we can see a pattern.

Public health bodies and people who analyse or sequence the virus's genetic material investigate any changes to the virus.

If a distinctive set of changes, or variant, appears to be spreading better, making people sicker or resisting vaccines, then it will be upgraded to being a "variant of concern".

This hasn't happened with the mutation identified in Nepal and elsewhere, so far.

It is mentioned by Public Health England as a "spike mutation of interest", but it is not categorised as a variant.

Other mutations which didn't amount to new variants have been spotted in Egypt, Vietnam and Yorkshire.

Will the Nepal mutation become a problem?

This change to the virus's spike protein is also seen in the Beta or South African variant.

It is thought to be part of why that variant is more resistant to vaccines.

"Because of this possibility, and because Delta appears more transmissible than Beta, scientists are monitoring it carefully," the Sanger Institute explained.

What other factors decide the green list?

As well as concerning variants, the government says it looks at factors including how many cases of coronavirus a country has.

The number of positive Covid cases in Portugal has nearly doubled since the last review, the government said, adding the situation "has required swift action to protect the gains made with the [UK] vaccine rollout".

Cases have risen considerably in Portugal over the last few weeks, but they are only a little higher than in the UK (5.4 new cases per 100,000 compared with 5.1).

EASY STEPS: How to keep safe
A SIMPLE GUIDE: What are the symptoms?
CONTAINMENT: What it means to self-isolate
MAPS AND CHARTS: Visual guide to the outbreak

COVID cases in England soar by 76.5% in a week, ONS estimates show - Sky News

Coronavirus cases in the community rocketed by 76.5% in just one week, official data for England indicates.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimates that 85,600 people in the country had COVID-19 in the week to May 29 - equating to around one in 640 people in private households.

This is the highest level since the week to 16 April and is up from 48,500 people - one in 1,120 people - in the week ending 22 May.

Live COVID updates from the UK and around the world

The percentage of people testing positive for COVID-19 is estimated to have increased in North West England, the East Midlands and South West England.

There are also signs of a possible increase in the West Midlands and London while the trend is uncertain for other regions, the ONS said.

In many regions positivity rates are very low, meaning trends are difficult to identify since they are affected by small changes in the number of people testing positive from week to week.

The North West had the highest proportion of people of any region in England likely to test positive for coronavirus in the week to 29 May - around one in 280.

South East England had the lowest estimate - around one in 1,490.

The figures are likely to be among the data considered by the prime minister as he decides on whether to drop the last coronavirus restrictions on 21 June.

Boris Johnson is under pressure to press ahead with the unlocking - dubbed "freedom day" by some - following the successful rollout of vaccines.

However, concerns persist over the spread of the Indian variant, also known as the Delta variant.

The figures are likely to be among the data considered by the prime minister as he decides on whether to drop the last coronavirus restrictions on 21 June.

In Wales, which is moving to further ease lockdown measures, there also are "early signs" of an increase in the percentage of people testing positive for coronavirus, with 2,900 people - around one in 1,050 - estimated to have had COVID-19 in the week to 29 May, the ONS said.

This is up from 800 - one in 3,850 - the previous week and is the highest estimate since the week to 16 April.

It represents an overall hike of 262.5%.

In Northern Ireland the trend is "uncertain", with an estimate of around one in 800 for the week to 29 May, broadly unchanged from one in 820 in the previous week.

The trend is also "uncertain" for Scotland, where the latest estimate is around one in 680, broadly unchanged from one in 630.

All figures are for people in private households.

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2021-06-04 12:33:45Z
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'Growing evidence' of Nepal variant in Portugal as tourists scramble back to UK - Metro.co.uk

portugal amber list — Travellers had ‘always known’ this could happen, Robert Jenrick said (Picture: Getty/Reuters)

Portugal was put on the amber list after ‘growing evidence’ of the new Nepal variant, a Government minister has said.

British tourists were left fuming yesterday as some were thrown into a mad scramble to get back before quarantine rules hit on Tuesday and others had to cancel the sunny get-aways they’d been dreaming of.

The travel industry was also furious as no new countries were added to the green list, claiming the Government had ‘torn up its own rule book and ignored the science’.

Speaking to Sky News this morning, Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said the decision to remove Portugal was made to protect the UK after Covid cases increased over there and the Nepal variant was discovered.

He said: ‘Firstly, the amount of positivity has increased significantly, it’s doubled in the last three weeks to a level that’s much higher than we have here in the UK.

‘Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, although both countries have prevalence of the Indian variant or Delta variant as it’s called, we’re also seeing in Portugal now growing evidence of a further mutation being called the Nepal variant.

‘We don’t yet know how much of a problem that is, how transmissibility is, whether it might be too difficult even for our vaccines.

‘But it’s important that we take a cautious approach, and so we take action now whilst we do research and learn more about that variant.’

Public Health England (PHE) is investigating 20 UK cases of the Nepal variant, which is believed to be a mutated version of the Indian (Delta) strain.

However, World Health Organisation experts said they were ‘not aware’ of it on Thursday.

Robert Jenrick explains decision to move Portugal to amber list

LISBON, PORTUGAL - JUNE 02: Mask-clad tourists and locals ride a Line 28 tram in Largo do Chiado during the COVID-19 Coronavirus pandemic on June 02, 2021 in Lisbon, Portugal. The country advances towards easing restrictions and the Council of Ministers has decided that, as of June 14, restaurants, cafes, and pastry shops will open until midnight. Attendance to shows can be up to a 50% of the venue capacity limit, while training and amateur sports venues will have a 33% capacity limit, but bars and nightclubs will not yet reopen. (Photo by Horacio Villalobos#Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images) — Mask-clad tourists and locals ride a Line 28 tram in Largo do Chiado, Portugal (Picture: Corbis via Getty Images)

Nepal Variant METRO GRAPHICS Picture: Metro.co.uk — The World Health Organisation is ‘unaware’ of the Nepal variant

President of Portugal’s National Health Council, Professor Henrique Barros, has called the British government’s decision to limit travel to Portugal an ‘overreaction’.

The situation ‘remains relatively stable’ as weekly coronavirus cases are similar, if not lower, than the UK, he said.

Professor Barros added that authorities are ‘quite aware’ of the Nepal variant but said there is no reason to be worried at the moment.

Meanwhile, travel industry experts have warned removing Portugal will do ‘untold damage to consumer confidence’ and risks sending a message that the UK ‘remains isolated from the rest of the world’.

Johan Lundgren, chief executive of easyJet, has described the move as ‘a huge blow to those who are currently in Portugal and those who have booked to be reunited with loved ones, or take a well-deserved break this summer’.

He added: ‘With Portuguese rates similar to those in the UK it simply isn’t justified by the science.’

Mr Jenrick admitted he knew the situation was ‘frustrating’, but said everyone had always known this could happen.

He said: ‘I completely understand how frustrating this is both for people in Portugal, and for millions of people here who would love to go on holiday abroad this summer.

‘We were also clear that if you choose to go on holiday to countries on the green list, those countries are being reviewed every three weeks, and so there was always a risk with a fast-moving situation with new variants that countries might either go on to that list, or indeed come off.

‘That’s what’s happened here and I hope that people will understand – hard though this is – that we do need to take a cautious approach because people have made such progress in recent weeks and months.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

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2021-06-04 06:58:00Z
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Kamis, 03 Juni 2021

British father, 45, dies while trying to save daughters who got into trouble swimming off Portugal beach - Sky News

A British man has died while trying to save his two daughters after they were dragged to sea off a beach in Portugal.

The 45-year-old was already suffering from cardiac arrest when he was pulled from the ocean by surfers, CM Portugal reported.

Despite a nurse who was on the beach spending nearly an hour trying to save him, he was pronounced dead on Calada beach in Encarnacao just after 2pm on Thursday.

His daughters, aged nine and 12, reportedly suffered minor injuries and are said to have got into difficulties in a strong current.

They were taken to Santa Maria Hospital in Lisbon, which is around an hour's drive from the beach.

The man was a Dubai-born national who was travelling on a British passport, according to Portuguese daily Correio da Manha.

A UK Foreign Office spokesperson told Sky News: "We are providing support to the family of a British man who has sadly drowned in Portugal. Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones."

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2021-06-04 00:41:00Z
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Covid-19: Portugal queries amber list move as UK stresses risk to unlocking - BBC News

Portugal has questioned the UK decision to remove it from the travel green list from next Tuesday.

The move to the amber list means UK tourists should not visit the country and returnees must isolate for 10 days.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps cited rising cases and a Covid mutation found in Portugal, saying ministers did not want to take risks before the planned final easing of England's restrictions.

But Portugal said it could not understand the "logic" of the move.

A post from the Twitter account of Portugal's Cabinet of Minister of State for Foreign Affairs said: "Portugal continues to carry out its prudent and gradual deconfinement plan, with clear rules for the safety of those who live here and those who visit us."

The travel industry has also criticised the change, saying it would threaten jobs and consumer confidence - with the boss of Heathrow Airport warning the sector faced "another lost summer".

The UK government said the decision to move Portugal, including Madeira and the Azores, to the amber list followed increased concern about a mutation of the Delta variant, which was first identified in India.

The Department for Transport said 68 cases of the Delta variant have been identified in Portugal, including cases with an additional, potentially detrimental mutation, being referred to as the Nepal mutation.

Public Health England (PHE) told the BBC the mutation of the variant was present in multiple countries, including a small number of cases in the UK.

It is investigating the mutation to better understand whether it could be more transmissible and less effectively tackled by vaccines.

The number of positive Covid cases in Portugal has also nearly doubled since the last review, the department said, adding the situation "has required swift action to protect the gains made with the [UK] vaccine rollout".

Mr Shapps said the government "simply don't want to take the risk as we come up to June 21 and the review of the fourth stage of the unlock".

On that date, all legal restrictions on social contact in England are due to be lifted - but some scientists have said this should be delayed because of rising cases.

A final decision will be made on whether to proceed with the easing of restrictions by 14 June.

On Thursday, the UK reported 5,274 new cases - the highest figure since 26 March - and another 18 deaths within 28 days of a positive test.

PHE believes the Delta variant is now dominant in the UK and that it may be linked to a higher risk of hospital admission.

Graphic showing how the traffic light system for arrivals will work

In the first review of England's traffic light list for international travel, no new destinations were added to the green list, where travellers must be tested but do not have to quarantine on their return.

Seven countries - Afghanistan, Bahrain, Costa Rica, Egypt, Sri Lanka, Sudan, and Trinidad and Tobago - will be added to the red list.

Only UK or Irish nationals or UK residents are allowed to travel from red list countries and they must pay to isolate for 10 days in a government-approved hotel on their arrival.

But holidaymakers should not travel to amber or red list countries, according to government guidance.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have confirmed they will adopt the same changes, which come into effect at 04:00 BST on 8 June.

The change to Portugal's status means holidaymakers face a scramble for flights home before the new rules come into force.

Tim Alderslade, chief executive of Airlines UK, told the BBC's World Tonight programme: "I think we could get back to where we were last summer with people just not wanting to book because of the risk."

Describing the current reopening of international travel as "in name only", he added: "The feeling within the sector is we are being potentially sacrificed in order to protect the domestic reopening on 21 June."

The Airline Operators Association said the industry would require substantial government support to protect jobs if there was to be "another disastrous summer as a result of a continued overly-cautious approach".

Labour said downgrading Portugal was "not the answer" and called for the amber list to be scrapped altogether, citing reports that more than 50,000 people were travelling to the UK every day.

Yvette Cooper, who chairs the Commons Home Affairs Committee, said the system needed to be more transparent about why decisions were taken.

"Otherwise, what we will end up with is a summer of just chopping and changing, which will just end up being chaotic for everyone," the Labour MP told BBC Two's Newsnight.

'This holiday was everything for us'

Kerry, a photographer from the Wirral, says her family - like many others - have had "the year from hell".

Her partner has been shielding for over a year due to an auto-immune disease, Kerry has had to nurse her mother through Covid-19 and a stroke, and her 18-month old son has hardly known a world without a pandemic.

She was just about to book a trip to Portugal when the rules changed. "This holiday was everything for us our first with our baby who has had no experiences in his first 18 months on this planet," she says.

But others say they are likely to make the trip anyway.

One man told the BBC: "Unless they say, you must not go, you will be fined if you go, we might well still go and just have to bear the additional costs of an extra PCR test and the fact that we have to quarantine."

Jumat, 04 Juni 2021

More on Covid-19

Why was Portugal removed from the green list?

Is there a Nepal variant?

When does a mutation become a variant?

Will the Nepal mutation become a problem?

What other factors decide the green list?

Why was Portugal removed from the green list?

Is there a Nepal variant?

When does a mutation become a variant?

Will the Nepal mutation become a problem?

What other factors decide the green list?

More on Covid-19

Kamis, 03 Juni 2021

'This holiday was everything for us'