Portugal ready to welcome back tourists, says government

FILE PHOTO: A tourist wearing a protective mask as a preventive measure against coronavirus disease (COVID-19) walks at Augusta street in downtown Lisbon, Portugal March 20, 2020. REUTERS/Rafael Marchante/File Photo

LISBON (Reuters) - Portugal's doors are open to tourists, the country's Foreign Minister Augusto Santos Silva said on Friday, one of the first European countries to welcome back visitors from elsewhere in the continent.

"Tourists are welcome in Portugal," Santos Silva told newspaper Observador, explaining that some health checks will be introduced at airports but there will be no compulsory quarantine for those flying in.