Portugal to close border with Spain to tourists

Portugal will close its border with Spain to tourists for at least a month to curb the spread of coronavirus, Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa has said.

Goods and people travelling for work will still be allowed to cross the border but not those on leisure trips, he told a news conference on Sunday after speaking by videoconference with his Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez.

"There will be no tourism between Portugal and Spain in the coming months," he said.

The travel restrictions will apply to both land and air borders and they will come into force once the interior ministers of both nations iron out the details on Monday, Costa said.

They will last until at least Easter, which this year falls on April 12.

"There is a good tradition of Spaniards visiting us during the Easter holidays. This year is not ideal for that visit," Costa said.

"As a result, and without any hostility I think it is necessary that during this period there is no tourism activity between Spaniards and Portuguese because we all have to restrict our movements not just within our cities, our countries, but at the global scale."