The Portuguese Council of Ministers has decided to scrap the Passenger Locator Form (PLF) that travelers previously had to fill out before arriving in the country, Portuguese media report.
PLFs were originally introduced by some countries in Europe to help authorities facilitate contact tracing in case travelers are exposed to contagious diseases while traveling by plane, car, ship, train, or bus.
"Information that travelers provide in PLFs can be used by public health authorities in destination countries to rapidly contact travelers, with the goal of protecting the health of travelers' and their contacts as well as preventing further disease spread," according to the website of the European Digital PLF.
Each country had its own rules about who must fill out the PLF. For example, some countries required only one member of the traveling family to fill out the form, while others required each adult to fill out a separate form.
As reported by The Portugal News, the Council of Ministers' decision to scrap PLF means "passengers on flights to or from mainland Portugal or cruise ships when docking in mainland Portugal will no longer be required to fill it in."
"The explanation [for this measure] is obvious and has to do with what we failed to do in terms of tracing broad-spectrum contacts", Portuguese Health Minister Marta Temido told a press conference at the end of the Council of Ministers' meeting.
She also announced that “the digital certificate COVID-19 in the test or recovery modality, or other proof of laboratory performance, is no longer required for access to residential structures and for visits to healthcare establishments."
According to The Portugal News, the Directorate-General of Health will establish specific rules and guidelines to protect the most vulnerable populations.
Mandatory use of masks
In light of the improved health situation in Portugal, the government has also decided to limit the mask requirement to public transportation as well as health care facilities and other settings where vulnerable or elderly people are present.
Shortly after the COVID -19 vaccines were introduced worldwide, Portugal was the most vaccinated country.
Currently, about 94% of the population is vaccinated and 92% are fully vaccinated. About 61% of Portuguese have received an additional dose.
The new measures will enter into force after the Council of Ministers' decision is published in the Diário da República, Portugal's official gazette, probably on April 22.
The easing of COVID -related restrictions is expected to help Portugal's tourism, which was hit hard by the pandemic, recover at a faster pace.
