According to a note from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, air traffic remains open with the countries that make up the European Union, the countries associated with the Schengen Area (Liechtenstein, Norway, Iceland and Switzerland) and the United Kingdom.

The Portuguese government says it has doubled the number of countries outside the European Union and the Schengen Area that may have regular air connections to and from Portugal because they present a positive epidemiological picture.

The countries are as follows: Australia, Canada, China, South Korea, Georgia, Japan, Morocco, New Zealand, Rwanda, Thailand, Tunisia and Uruguay.

The Minister of Internal Administration, Eduardo cabrita, had already stated in the press conference after the meeting of the Council of Ministers today that flights to and from other destinations will be allowed only for essential trips.

"The authorisation for essential travel was previously limited to flights originating in and to Portuguese-speaking countries and the USA", says the MAI.

Essential trips are those that allow “transit, entry or exit from Portugal to nationals of the EU or countries associated with the Schengen Area and their family members and foreigners legally resident in an EU Member State, as well as those carried out by professionals, for study, family reasons, health or humanitarian reasons”, adds the note.

If you disagree with the decision of the UK Government to continue to leave Portugal off the air bridge list, then click here to find details on how to sign a petition and lobby UK ministers.

WHO and Worldometer Data for each country for confirmed cases per week.

Portugal

Week ending 29/6/20 - 2380 cases

Week ending 6//7/20 - 2652 cases

Week ending 13/7/20 - 2169 cases

Week ending 20/7/20 - 760 cases

On 760 cases that is roughly 7.6 per 100,000 infection rate.

The Algarve is roughly 3 per 100,000 now.

Spain

Week ending 29/6/20 - 2589 cases

Week ending 6//7/20 - 4590 cases

Week ending 13/7/20 - 9016 cases

Week ending 20/7/20 - 8865 cases

On 8865 cases that is roughly 18.7 per 100,000 infection rate.

England

The ONS last figures for England is estimated at 2,800 new cases per day or 19,600 per week for the week ending 20/7/20 and also states that the current infection rate is 5.2 per 100,000.

As such the Algarve is less than England and the whole of Portugal is just above England with the most telling factor being that Spain is on and Portugal off even though Spain has a rising infection rate over the last three weeks and Portugal has declined.

As such Portugal is now 7.6 per 100,000 and Spain is 18.7 per 100,000 infection rate.