Moving Portugal off the UK’s green list is “an overreaction”, an epidemiologist in the popular holiday destination has claimed.
Professor Henrique Barros, president of Portugal’s National Health Council, said the country’s overall coronavirus situation is “relatively stable”.
He made the comments after Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said positive cases had doubled in the last three weeks in Portugal.
Prof Barros told Sky News: “We didn’t reach such an increase, except as I said in a specific area around Lisbon.
“The overall picture in the country, we didn’t reach such figures.”
The decision to move Portugal to the amber list means people returning to the UK from there must self-isolate at home for 10 days.