It will not be Portugal's independent decision on when people from the US will be allowed in. The EU will be making a global decision on the date. TAP will be transporting only Portuguese citizens and residents before then, as well as government workers, medical staff, etc. (And of course American citizens and residents in the other direction.)

“I remain optimistic ...” that the pandemic will be suppressed by restrictions on travel and social distancing measures taken around the world, and that we will all be able to travel again next year.

So I'm very unclear over how this will work. I thought the EU made recommendations but it was up to each country to decide how they will handle the reopening, including which countries will be allowed to enter and when. I thought that Portugal and Greece, for instance, have already set dates when non-EU members can enter their country (with or without restrictions).

I would like to understand this - I'm not asking for an opinion whether this is okay or not.

I sincerely hope this comes to happen Heimdall. Agree we need to exercise caution this year and control the outbreak...

From what I have read, the European Commission in Brussels will soon make a statement of "intent" for opening the outer borders. But what they say will not be an absolute rule and each EU or other Schengen country is free to make its own decision. However the increase of cases and deaths in certain countries will certainly be food for thought.

Thanks, kerouac.

Article from Conde Nast Traveler re Portugal

https://www.cntraveler.com/story/fli...-resume-june-4

Things like Condé Nast Traveler have to keep churning out articles no matter what.

Once you are in a Schengen country, you can easily travel to another one. So if Portugal allows visitors from outside the EU, they will be able to continue on to other countries, once the internal EU borders are open. I don't know how they plan to do this.

Seems like many EU countries are opening borders to other EU citizens in the next week or two. I guess they will look for spikes to see whether to allow "third-party nationals" or residents of countries outside the EU and Schengen in July or at a later date?

Greece and now Portugal have announced intentions to open to tourists from countries outside the EU/Schengen.

But if there are spikes in infections and deaths from opening up within the EU, of course those plans will all become null.

However there have been incidents of large gatherings or crowds at parks and beaches in the past month. Yet the overall trend in infections and deaths seem to be downward.

Just the fact that Portugal is forbidding flights from Italy and Spain says something. But that of course makes absolutely no sense if they are permitting flights from the US or the UK.

Is there something in there that is factually incorrect? Regardless of anyone's opinion as to whether it's a good idea or not?

So not official but EU is telling the media that at some point, EU will allow entry and travel within by travelers from outside the Schengen zone:

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-h...-idUSKBN23C1NE

Here is what TAP has posted for planned direct flights from the US, beginning July. Stay Tuned. I would be careful about booking anything connecting through the UK, at this point.

https://www.flytap.com/en-us/latest-...64401f-content

What would be the impact of a US citizen traveling while there is still a Global Health Level 4/Do Not Travel advisory?

While some countries are beginning to consider opening to the US in the near future with minimal if any restrictions (and will possibly open some more during the summer), how would that impact someone who chooses to ignore the advisory?

Again, I'm not saying it's okay, just wondering.

(edited)

Which countries have opened to the US, progol?

Oi, vey, I thought the meaning of my question was clear, even if I wasn’t literally accurate for this moment. I MEANT that it looks like Portugal, Greece, and perhaps Italy sometime in the not too distant future. And even if it’s later than right this moment, the question was about the US alert and its consequences for travelers.

I did not say any country was opened to the US right now. Mea culpa.

If a sanitary protocol is followed, it would appear that the United States, Brazil and Russia would be the very last countries allowed to enter the area of western Europe.

Iceland. We have a trip planned for August, but are changing it to next year. Only be cause of medical/travel insurance. Otherwise we would still go. There are 5 of us traveling, so we can't just willy nilly change our mind at the last minute to go as it is too hard to juggle 5 schedules. Every last thing was planned and paid for as it was a ring road trip, so quite extensive. It will be there for us next summer though, and we are adding even more days to it. It has been interesting to see how Iceland is opening up and what they are requiring etc.

Progol, from what I read in the Global Health Advisory, people who ignore it and travel anyway must be prepared not to receive support from the US embassies (repatriation flights, etc) should they become necessary. In other words, you are on your own, and could be stuck somewhere at your own expense if flights are suspended again. It’s not often one needs support from the embassy when travelling overseas, but in an emergency it may be essential. I wonder also if travel insurance companies would use that as an excuse to deny claims.

Trump apparently said recently that they will look at easing travel restrictions from Europe.

He's going to do whatever he can to boost the economy, including taking in tourists from other countries.

Thanks, Heimdall, I appreciate this. I had assumed this would be the case, and I would also imagine travel insurance would probably not be active, but I have no proof.

scb11 - I haven’t seen any comments yet about the US easing travel restrictions, but I am not surprised if that’s true. .

Here's another article to add to the confusion: https://www.france24.com/en/20200605...after-covid-19

There is also the possibility that all of the maskless and undistanced demonstrations all across Europe these past few days could blow up in our faces in two weeks.

Portugal resumed biweekly nonstops between Newark and Lisbon. AFAIK, there is no quarantine requirement for the mainland. Masks are generally required.

There's a WaPo article noting that EU countries have opened up businesses since about early to mid May and are not seeing spikes, at least not yet. They said a hospital in Cremona was expecting more patients but have started taking down makeshift ICU beds.

Through at least the summer, the hope is that there will be no more than localized hot spots, as they've found that opening some schools and restaurants haven't led to increases in case. But large-scale events are still prohibited.

People may have permanently adopted hand washing and wearing of masks. Other behavioral changes, supposedly while parks and outdoor dining are full, indoor tables are not.

Italy ICU patients have dropped from 4000 at peak to 400 and has been dropping every day in May. In Germany, contact tracing teams are idle. In Belgium, hospitals are emptying.

Experts still are not ruling out a second wave in the winter.

Nobody is claiming victory though. If Europe does well in the summer, it could still be the case that people drop their guard, priming up a big second wave in the fall/winter.

France had small uptakes but is having around 1000 cases per day vs. tens of thousands of cases in March. There have been outbreaks, like one linked to a funeral in Molise, Italy, clusters in Spain linked to parties and outbreaks in Germany from indoor gatherings and meat packing plants. There have also been clusters from parties, someone opening a hookah bar against guidelines and various church services including those where people were singing choir without masks.

Germany is even confident of avoiding a second wave because it has built up contact tracing capacity.

Very few people here in Switzerland wear masks. Our Federal Council has never required them as a general matter. They are simply recommended when one is in a crowded situation - on a train for example - but are only required when there is close person to person contact such as at the hairdresser. In fact in a Zürich paper this morning there was an article stating that the Federal Government now has a stock of millions and millions of masks and doesn't know what to do with it!! I think since mid March I have worn a mask four times...

On 15 June the Swiss borders will open (all of Schengen is to re-open its borders) but as far as I can see only to residents of those countries. Not to tourists from outside the Schengen area with the exception of those coming from the UK and Ireland.

Only 13 deaths by coronovirus in France yesterday. That's the lowest number since mid-March.

"In fact in a Zürich paper this morning there was an article stating that the Federal Government now has a stock of millions and millions of masks and doesn't know what to do with it!!"

I read that too. In fact, the total masks reserve in Switzerland corresponds to 30 masks per citizen.

kerouac I hope the downhill trend continues and that the people, and the economy, recover as quickly as possible.

"There have been outbreaks, like one linked to a funeral in Molise, Italy, clusters in Spain linked to parties and outbreaks in Germany from indoor gatherings and meat packing plants"

I'm rather worried about areas with coninuously high new infection rates like
Lombardy: 150 - 400 new infections: every day (last week)
Porto area: about 200 new infections: every day (last week)
Belgium: about 150 new infections: every day (last week)
Southern half of the Netherlands
Madrid and Cataluna
England

In the southern part of the Netherlands, the area most affected in the country, there are mink farms where the animals have corona. They have tested cats on these farms, and several turned out to have it as well - or they had it recently.
The authorities say that there is little risk for humans, but how do they know?

I am also holding my breath for a spike in two weeks time, after the demonstrations in cities here.

NZ
 

I imagine New Zealand will be opening up as they haven't had any new cases of Corona in a few weeks. That's what I'm waiting on.

News Flash: Covid 19 has a .26% mortality rate. A quarter of a percent. Most of those in the .26 % are in very ill health to start with.

Live your life as you wish. Don't tell me how to live mine.

Well, then don't use my health system, ever.

Please give a link to your discovery, though.

Which is why they had all of the Covid 19.

That is a reason for them NOT to open up. They sacrificed and now they're good while much of the rest of the world didn't and isn't.

The scientific principles of a quarantine to prevent viral transmission are apparently still not understood... Someone needs to write the "Pandemic for Dummies" book.

I believe 1 or 2 workers were infected too. Also we've had spreading clusters in meat processing plants, and a few schools are postponing opening further in June due to spreading clusters in primary schools.

I don't think the BLM protests will have much influence on infectiions: indoor situations have far more potentiial to turn into spreading clusters.

[QUOTE=Please give a link to your discovery, though.[/QUOTE]

Might be referring to this:
https://www.conservativereview.com/n...e-coronavirus/