More than 2,500 passengers, 41 airlines fined for lack of Covid test
According to MAI, Between December 1 and January 23, PSP and SEF inspected 1,823,533 passengers and 16,966 flights, which resulted in 2,546 administrative offences.
More than 2,500 passengers were fined between December 1 and January 23 for trying to enter Portugal through air borders without a negative test for SARS-CoV-2, the ministry of internal administration (MAI) said on Monday.
According to the ministry, 41 airlines were also fined for boarding these passengers without a negative test, several fines that has remained unchanged since a fortnight ago.
In a balance of this measure to control the cases of Covid-19, the MAI told Lusa that between December 1 and January 23, PSP and SEF inspected 1,823,533 passengers and 16,966 flights, which resulted in 2,546 administrative offences.
Of the 2,546 administrative offence notices, 1,677 were issued by the PSP, which controls passengers from flights originating in the Schengen area (European area for the free movement of persons), and 869 by the SEF, which supervises travellers coming from countries outside the Schengen area.
Since December 1, 2021, all passengers arriving in Portugal by air must present a negative test or recovery certificate upon disembarkation.
Passengers on domestic flights, those under 12 years of age and crew members are exempt from the requirement of testing, PCR or rapid testing.
Airlines carrying passengers without a negative test will incur a fine of between €20,000 and €40,000 per passenger, and travellers will also face an administrative offence, between €300 and €800, for failing to present a test on arrival.
The MAI also states that the 2,546 administrative offences include eight foreigners who were refused entry into the country for not having presented the test upon arrival. The test is only allowed at the airport for citizens of Portuguese nationality, foreigners residing in Portugal and diplomatic personnel.
Data from MAI also show that 2,585 diagnostic tests were carried out at airports for passengers who entered the country without this document.
At land borders, also since December 1, citizens from countries outside the European Union and EU countries considered at risk red or dark red need a negative test or certificate of recovery.
Citizens from EU countries considered at low or moderate risk must carry a vaccination, test or recuperation certificate to enter Portugal.
Covid-19 has caused at least 5.58 million deaths worldwide since the start of the pandemic, according to the latest balance of the agency France-Presse.
In Portugal, since March 2020, 19,569 people have died, and there have been 2,221,825 cases of infection, according to the latest update from the Directorate-General of Health.
