Portugal has extended flight restrictions on non-essential travel from countries with high coronavirus incident rates, such as Brazil, until May 16, and has added India to the list due to the dramatic increase in infections there.

Travellers from countries with 500 or more cases per 100,000 people registered in the previous 14 days, such as South Africa, France, and the Netherlands, will only reach Portugal if they have a legitimate cause, such as work or healthcare, the government said on Saturday. 

Portugal has now joined an increasing number of countries that have imposed such restrictions on India.

Spain announced on Saturday that passengers arriving from India would be quarantined for 10 days to prevent the spread of COVID-19, according to a government bulletin.

People from countries with a COVID-19 incident rate of 150 or more cases per 100,000 inhabitants, such as Spain and Germany, can even fly to Portugal for important purposes, according to Portugal.

They must show evidence of a negative COVID-19 result within 72 hours of their departure for Portugal.

Many that do not have an exam must take one before they arrive and wait for the results at the airport.

The air travel controls were extended on the same day as much of Portugal entered the final process of a phased relaxation of rules introduced in January to combat the world’s worst COVID-19 surge.

Schools, restaurants and cafes, shopping centers, libraries, and other non-essential facilities have reopened since then, but with stringent regulations in place to reduce the chance of contagion.

After more than three months of restrictions and border checks, Portugal’s 1,200-kilometer land border with Spain reopened on Saturday.