Madeira -Some observations on Covid Measures

[tonymc]

September 2021, and we've finally made it to Madeira after having (like so many others), our plans cancelled last year.

For anyone yet to travel, we have been extremely impressed by the welcome we have received and the high level of Covid measures being taken.

On arrival at the Airport, the immigration officer who dealt with us was very friendly (take note US immigration! ), thanked us for visiting, and wished us a good stay.

For the Covid entry, a quirk saw myself being cleared completely on Madeira Safe, yet my wife was not, so we both used the light-green lane. The organisation was excellent, and despite there being around 150 people in front of us, it took only 15 minutes to get my wife cleared by scanning her Covid vaccination certificate. In fact, we were on our way to our accommodation less than an hour after landing.

The warm welcome continued at our hotel reception, where we were also advised of the various requirements for Covid safety. Also noticeable that in the restaurant at breakfast, you are asked to wear a mask when moving around, and also to wear a disposable glove for handling the serving utensils - I would assume this is the same at most hotels. Also plenty of hand sanitisers at the entrances and by the lifts.

In the few days we have been here so far, we have used the local buses in Funchal several times, and again, all buses have hand sanitisers at the entrance and require everyone to wear a mask. I also have to say that the the drivers, at least on the routes through the main tourist spots, certainly have a far better command of English than my stuttering Portugese, as do most staff in restaurants, bars and shops!

One thing to note is that if you are looking to have the free test for your flight home to the UK, you are best to get this booked as soon as you arrive. We visited a local Pharmacist (in the Forum Centre) who even 6 days ahead of our return only had a couple of times left for the date we needed the test to be taken.

Also be careful that you select the Antigen test - I mistakenly selected PCR test, and when we visited the nearby Pharmacy, although they kindly booked us an appointment, they told us that unless we contacted the relevant authority, they would not be able to undertake the free Antigen/Lateral Flow Test and we would have to visit the hosppital instead.

Fortunately, a couple of e-mails from both myself and my wife, and we were given the codes to take to the pharmacy, although strangely, similar to our entry covid issue, my wife received an instant response yet mine took 2 hours.

Now if only someone could manage to get rid of the storm that is forecast for tomorrow, it would be perfect... !

[Mazascouser]

Thank you, very helpful.

[fantasy]

Thank you. We are booking to go end of November. Am I correct in thinking that tests no longer required?

[tonymc]

This is what the BBC reported a few days ago:

However, it doesn't give an actual date by which you will only need to undertake a Day 2 Lateral FlowTest on return, or whether you will need to have a booking reference for the test (i.e. pre-order and pay for it) or simply take a test using the LFT kit available for free.