The UK government’s about-turn is another example of Boris Johnson’s pandemic policymaking at its worst
The UK government’s decision to move Portugal from the green to the amber foreign travel list is messy, dubious and disturbingly characteristic of Boris Johnson at his worst. Most immediately, in human terms, it is an instant inconvenience, including financially, to UK travellers to Portugal. Many will have assumed they would get more notice if their plans were under review. To most, the decision came out of a clear blue sky.
The government has dumped visitors from the UK with a difficult choice. They can scramble home before the Tuesday deadline – rebooking flights, and the necessary Covid tests. Or they can remain in Portugal and accept that they will have to quarantine when they return. Disruption for those about to fly out, and who have now had to cancel, is almost as bad. It is a rubbish way to treat citizens. It is also a casual rudeness to Portugal, which has stricter Covid protocols than Britain, and which put itself out for UK visitors when the traffic-light lists were being introduced.
