Madeira and Porto Santo in Portugal will open to international tourists from 1 July - here are the rules

The Portguese islands of Madeira and Porto Santo have recently announced that they are opening back up to international tourists from 1 July. However, anyone wishing to travel to the islands will have to present a negative Covid-19 test carried out within 72 hours prior to departure, or be tested upon arrival to the island. Here’s everything you need to know. Negative coronavirus test Various European countries are beginning to ease lockdown restrictions, with some announcing that they will allow both domestic and international travel to resume again. To date, the island of Madeira, which is situated off the northwest coast of Africa and is an autonomous region of Portugal, has registered just 90 cases of coronavirus, with no deaths. Madeira is a three and a half hour long plane journey from the UK, and is famed for its warm weather, year round. To travel there, tourists will either have to show documentation which confirms that they have received a negative coronavirus test within 72 hours prior to their arrival, or they can receive a free test which will be administered by authorities upon their arrival. Both islands are also working on providing a Covid-free certificate for tourism businesses, in order to allow peace of mind for visitors. The rest of Portugal has also been equally keen to kickstart tourism again, with the country's Foreign Minister, Augusto Santos Silva, saying last week that travellers will soon be welcome to return with no obligation to self-isolate on their arrival to the country, Lisbon announced it is "open for business" and will start accepting international visitors again from Saturday 6 June. According to Reuters, Portugal and the UK are discussing the possibility of an ‘air bridge’ for tourists that would let UK residents avoid the two week quarantine period which is set to come into force on 8 June.