European Union (EU) member states agreed on Tuesday that people with a valid Covid-19 Certificate, such as vaccinated or recovered, will not be subjected to additional restrictions on movement.

Today, a source from the office of the Minister of Internal Administration told Lusa agency that, “as always, the Government will consider possible adjustments to the rules in force in the national legal framework, taking into account the content of this recommendation and also the evolution of the epidemiological situation in Portugal".

The same source recalled that the recommendation will come into force on 1 February, and still has to be published in the Official Journal of the EU.

Since December 1, 2021, all passengers arriving in Portugal by air are required to present a negative test or a recovery certificate upon disembarkation.

Passengers on domestic flights, children under 12 years of age and crews are exempt from the obligation of testing, PCR or rapid. This control will last until February 9.

The Council of the European Union said on Tuesday in a statement that “the measures related to Covid-19 must be applied taking into account the status of the person and not the situation at the regional level, with the exception of areas where the virus circulates at very high levels”.

In practice, “this means that a traveller’s vaccination, testing or Covid-19 recovery status, as evidenced by a valid EU Covid-19 Certificate, must be the fundamental approach”, adds the EU Council, stressing that this new “person-based approach will substantially simplify applicable rules and provide additional clarity and predictability to travellers”.

It is therefore envisaged that anyone who has a valid EU Covid-19 Certificate, such as vaccinated, recovered or tested, “should not be subject to additional restrictions on free movement”, that is, re-testing or quarantines.

“This recommendation responds to the significant increase in vaccine adoption and the rapid implementation of the EU Covid-19 Certificate”, says the EU Council, currently chaired by France.

The new recommendation, agreed by the General Affairs Council, replaces the existing rules when it enters into force on February 1, when a new acceptance period of 270 days for vaccination certificates also begins to operate.