The Regional Government will extend the network of COVID-19 testing laboratories to Mainland Portugal from July 1, through agreements with private laboratories and the social sector, thus streamlining the procedures for those who wish to travel to the Region. 

"The agreements signed with these laboratories in Mainland Portugal will allow the testing for SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus to be carried out using the RT-PCR methodology, considered the most reliable by entities of national and international reference," said the Regional Secretary for Health. 

In practice, citizens will be able to choose the laboratory where they will be tested for coronavirus infection from the list of entities, which will be published on the Azores Government Portal. They must present proof of booking and payment of the trip between Mainland Portugal and the Autonomous Region of the Azores. 

According to Teresa Machado Luciano, these laboratories are required to carry out the test within 72 hours before the trip, and the result must be sent to the passenger and to the Regional Directorate for Health before the departure of the flight. 

"These agreements are the result of a close work that has been carried out between the Regional Government and the National Clinical Laboratory Association in recent weeks with the aim of reinforcing the safety conditions of those travelling to the Region and of the Azoreans," stressed the Regional Secretary for Health. 

The rules for the establishment of the agreements are set out in an ordinance published today in the Official Journal.