Miguel Albuquerque understands that the obligation for all passengers flying from Madeira and the Azores to mainland Portugal to complete a Passenger Location Form (PLF), does not make sense at this stage of the pandemic.
He went on to say that it is merely..
“Another complexometer that they want to introduce to annoy the lives of Madeirans and Porto-Santenses.” He went on to say that the matter is being closely monitored by the Regional Secretary for Tourism and Culture.
All passengers on flights to or from mainland Portugal, including passengers on flights from the Autonomous Regions of the Azores and Madeira, must complete the Passenger Location Form (PLF), as communicated by the Government of the Republic.
The PLF must be completed electronically after check-in and before departure time. Failure to comply with the new regulations and complete a the PLF form process now constitutes an administrative offence, and airlines can be fined from €20,000 to €40,000, while individual fines will be in the region of €300 and €800.
The completion and presentation of the PLF by all passengers, allows health authorities to carry out the tracing of contacts regarding confirmed Covid-19 cases, thus interrupting, as soon as possible, possible transmission chains.
This decision has already motivated a reaction from the Regional Secretariat for Tourism and Culture (SRTC), who considers the measure to be discriminatory.
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com