Tourism: London vs. Lisbon
Since mid-May, Portugal has been the only major European destination that Britons were allowed to visit, and even hosted the Champions League final. But now the UK has put the country on its amber list and imposed quarantine for all returnees starting Tuesday - due to concerns about the doubling of the incidence rate to 66 and the new variant Delta+K417N. Lisbon has accused London of health fundamentalism.
Take the situation seriously and act accordingly
In the spirit of the Year of Tourism Público advises a level-headed approach to the situation:
“Putting the two decisions together, the worst thing one can do is to believe that we are victims of a cabal, an injustice or a war for control of tourism. As refutable as the British or Spanish arguments may be, the fact remains that the external perception of the country's epidemiological situation has worsened because the pandemic figures are rising. ... If we want to start July with optimism, we must be aware that there is a problem and act accordingly. If the rise in infection figures is not stopped, the summer campaign could be irretrievably compromised.”
Our own fault
Visão neither agrees with the British government's decision nor finds Portugal's behaviour acceptable:
“The government gave in to external pressure and ironically now we are paying the price: Portugal was left to deal with the risks of the Champions League final. ... This makes the subservience of our government, which violates principles and openly submits to ruthless demands that other countries in similar circumstances rejected (Dublin and Bilbao refused to open their stadiums for the 2020 European Championships), all the more shocking. ... What Britain has done to us is an unspeakable disgrace, but it shows that if we give in in the face of a stronger and more dangerous notion, the worst can still happen.”