Requesting November, 2020 Portuguese Camino Information

[The Yukon]

First Entry: It would be my privilege to walk the Portuguese Camino again, only from Lisbon to Valenca this year. Might there be anyone out there on the Portuguese Camino who could tell me what it's like. I live in the northwest corner of Canada near the Arctic Circle, 500 km from the nearest known case of Covid 19, so at this moment in time I'm one of the lucky. Be that as it may, after being the coldest place on earth (twice this month) and wondering why it's still dark at 10 a.m., I long to travel back to Portugal - to travel respectfully. TAP and SATA have both said that if I showed up 6,500 km to the SE in Toronto, they would let me on the plane and take me to Portugal.

Please, could someone who is on "the path" right now (November 15, 2020) tell someone from "the Yukon" how it is out there right now anywhere between Lisbon and Valenca.

Obrigado

 

[C clearly]

In asking "how it is out there" during a pandemic, you have asked a very broad question about a very complicated topic.

Maybe to help people understand where to start, in providing the information you want, can you tell us first if you have been following reliable information sources about requirements for entry into Portugal from Canada, and about how Portugal manages its Covid restrictions and requirements in various parts of the country. A friendly statement from someone at the airline is not enough to go on, under the circumstances.

Is that what you are asking, or are you asking about the albergue openings, pilgrim numbers and the weather?

No matter how it is today, out there, are you prepared for possible changes in restrictions on movement, lodging and restaurants, contingency plans if you cannot continue walking, for whatever reasons, the need for medical insurance, quarantine when you return to Canada, etc.?

You might read this post by @jungleboy, who lives in Lisbon. But he walked in September, and that was light years ago, in pandemic terms.

Sorry to be a bit negative, but I'm trying to determine if you have any idea of the possible challenges you might be facing.

 

[jungleboy]

As @C clearly wrote above, I walked from Lisbon to Santiago in September (arriving in Santiago on Oct 2), and things have certainly changed since then.

Currently, Portugal is in a state of emergency. Most of the country has curfew between 11pm-5am on weekdays and between 1pm-5am on weekends (at least through this coming weekend). Here is a decent rundown in English of the current restrictions, although the article is a week old by now and the restrictions now apply to 191 municipalities:

Key Points: Measures of the New State of Emergency

 

[Dsavid Keyte]

Stay home, Stay Safe. The Camino will still be there in the future

 

[mishlove]

From below you are not be allowed to enter Portugal from Canada.

Travel advice and advisories for Portugal

Travel Advice and Advisories from the Government of Canada

travel.gc.ca

Triple check.

 

[Kathar1na]

TAP and SATA have both said that if I showed up 6,500 km to the SE in Toronto, they would let me on the plane and take me to Portugal.

I can't contribute anything to your actual question but this was my first thought: did TAP and SATA confirm that you personally fulfil the conditions for entering Portugal at the moment or did they just confirm that they fly from Toronto to Portugal?

Canada was removed from the EU list on 22 October 2020 so that Canadian residents are currently subject to travel/entry restrictions that did not exist before this date and the majority of people living in Canada, with few exceptions, are barred from entry into EU countries since then. Portugal followed the EU's recommendation and removed Canada from their list on 30 October 2020, with a recent further prolongation of this entry ban for travellers from Canada until at least 30 November 2020.

 

[SimonDJ]

I'm currently walking the Via de la Plata. Although this is not the Portuguse way, I think the caminos and covid situation are more or less comparable. In the south/middle of the Iberian peninsula it's quite hard to find places to sleep. A lot of accommodations and facilities are closed due to the (covid) season. From Porto onwards I think it's very doable (see link for a list of accommodations).

At the moment only pilgrims that started their Camino before the 30th of October are allowed to continue their pilgrimage in (lockdown) areas in Galicia, among which Santiago. For now I would thus advice you to stay home. However, the C19 situation changed the last few months quite rapidly: for better or for worse. It could be that the number of infections in January/February is at an level that it is safe to travel (as indicated by the Canadian/Portugese/Spanish authorities). So maybe you can postpone your path until then if that is possible?

 

[trecile]

You might read this post by @jungleboy, who lives in Lisbon. But he walked in September, and that was light years ago, in pandemic terms

And it's important to remember that @jungleboy already lives in Portugal, so that if necessary he could have more easily returned home than someone who has to travel across the Atlantic.
Likewise @SimonDJ who lives in Europe does not have such a long (and expensive) flight home.

 

[The Yukon]

As @C clearly wrote above, I walked from Lisbon to Santiago in September (arriving in Santiago on Oct 2), and things have certainly changed since then.

Currently, Portugal is in a state of emergency. Most of the country has curfew between 11pm-5am on weekdays and between 1pm-5am on weekends (at least through this coming weekend). Here is a decent rundown in English of the current restrictions, although the article is a week old by now and the restrictions now apply to 191 municipalities:

Key Points: Measures of the New State of Emergency

This is very helpful information. Thank you Jungleboy. I've been enjoying your posts and your presence on this site.

 

[The Yukon]

I'm currently walking the Via de la Plata. Although this is not the Portuguse way, I think the caminos and covid situation are more or less comparable. In the south/middle of the Iberian peninsula it's quite hard to find places to sleep. A lot of accommodations and facilities are closed due to the (covid) season. From Porto onwards I think it's very doable (see link for a list of accommodations).

At the moment only pilgrims that started their Camino before the 30th of October are allowed to continue their pilgrimage in (lockdown) areas in Galicia, among which Santiago. For now I would thus advice you to stay home. However, the C19 situation changed the last few months quite rapidly: for better or for worse. It could be that the number of infections in January/February is at an level that it is safe to travel (as indicated by the Canadian/Portugese/Spanish authorities). So maybe you can postpone your path until then if that is possible?

Thanks for responding SimonDJ. You're exactly who I want to hear from. Things are changing more rapidly than I thought.

 

[The Yukon]

I can't contribute anything to your actual question but this was my first thought: did TAP and SATA confirm that you personally fulfil the conditions for entering Portugal at the moment or did they just confirm that they fly from Toronto to Portugal?

Canada was removed from the EU list on 22 October 2020 so that Canadian residents are currently subject to travel/entry restrictions that did not exist before this date and the majority of people living in Canada, with few exceptions, are barred from entry into EU countries since then. Portugal followed the EU's recommendation and removed Canada from their list on 30 October 2020, with a recent further prolongation of this entry ban for travellers from Canada until at least 30 November 2020.

This is a very helpful reply Katharina. I made my phone calls to receptive and knowledgeable people at the airlines on October 29. Appropriately, they told me that as of October 29 Canada was off the EU (Schengen group) list but not off the Portugal list of eligible countries for entry. They clearly specified that they could only speak for that date, so thank you for bringing me up to date. This is a great forum for the most relevant Camino information.
Maybe I'll hop in my Toyota and head up the magical, majestic, wind-blown Dempster Highway to the nearby Arctic Circle instead. Of course, amidst the twilight I'll dream of those many trips to Portugal with its abundance of good people, endless bear-free paths, pasteis de nata, Alentego red, and and the warm Mediterranean sun that in earlier winters provided a critical source of Vitamin D for us Arctic dwellers.