PORTO: Portuguese authorities have relaxed Covid-19 safety rules for thousands of English fans coming to Porto for Saturday’s Champions League final, no longer requiring them to stay in bubbles and lifting restrictions on movement.

“The borders are open. The city and the country are opening up little by little. Within what is possible, freedom (of movement) will not be conditioned,” Porto police Superintendent Cardoso da Silva told a news briefing on Thursday. “There are no restrictions of movement for fans.”

However, with only two days to go until match day, Silva said the contingency plan in place was under constant re-evaluation and could still undergo some alterations.

A police source said Portuguese authorities did not have enough time to fully prepare for the final as UEFA only announced it would move the event to Porto from Istanbul around two weeks ago.

Eight British police officers specialised in dealing with football fans are in Portugal and will work with Portuguese police to help ensure public order.

There will be a “robust” police presence around the stadium and the city, Silva said, though he did not specify how many officers have been mobilised to patrol the streets.

Traffic restrictions will be imposed in three perimeters around the stadium, to which ticketed fans will be transported, and fan zones are expected to be set up in the city, although details of how they will be organised have not yet been decided.

London Metropolitan Police Superintendent Lysander Strong, who is in Portugal to coordinate the operation between the two forces, said the two clubs had sent recommendations to fans to follow social distancing rules and wear a mask.

With the approval of the local authorities, UEFA has issued 16,500 tickets for the game at the Dragon stadium, a third of capacity.

Both clubs have been allocated 6,000 tickets, and 1,700 tickets were made available to the general public. The rest will be distributed by UEFA.

The police said they could not provide a precise estimate of the number of foreign fans who will travel to Porto this weekend.

Since May 17, British visitors have been allowed into Portugal with proof of a negative PCR test result.

Silva said that around 80 charter flights with English fans were expected to land on Saturday for the clash between Manchester City and Chelsea. Around 180 buses will take fans to the stadium.

Under rules previously announced by the Portuguese government, passengers were to fly back within 24 hours. But police spokesman Marco Almeida said that now they can stay longer if they choose not to take scheduled return flights.

Published in Dawn, May 28th, 2021