Portugal introduces new measures before Christmas

The government of António Costa has just announced the early implementation of some measures originally planned for the first week of January and other measures have been announced 

Covid-19: Portugal introduces new measures before Christmas

The compulsory week of confinement originally scheduled for the week after New Year's Day has been brought forward to next week, i.e. from December 27.

"We're going to bring forward a series of measures early next week," declared António Costa, at the close of the extraordinary Council of Ministers meeting held yesterday, Tuesday.

The teleworking will be mandatoryThe closing of crèches, day-care centers, discotheques and bars has been brought forward to midnight on December 25.

From this date onwards, a negative Covid-19 test will be required for access to tourist establishments and local accommodation, for ceremonies such as weddings and christenings, and for business events.

Presentation of the test has also been extended to all cultural events and sports venues, whatever their capacity. Until now, the test was only compulsory for shows with more than five thousand spectators in open spaces or one thousand in closed spaces.

Commercial spaces will once again be subject to a capacity limit: one person for every five square meters.

One of the new measures announced by the Prime Minister is to increase the number of reimbursed tests from four to six per month, in order to "continue to encourage screening". We remind you that these free tests are reserved for Portuguese tax residents.

This meeting of the Council of Ministers, which was the last before Christmas, was originally scheduled for Thursday, but the Prime Minister decided to bring it forward to Tuesday, after conferring with the President of the Republic and having informed and heard all the parties represented in Parliament.

A series of concrete measures for the vacations.

On December 24, 25, 31 and January 1, it will be compulsory to present a PCR-negative test in addition to a health pass to enter restaurants, casinos or holiday parties. Public gatherings of more than 10 people and the consumption of alcoholic beverages are prohibited.

At the press conference following the Council of Ministers, the Prime Minister set out a series of recommendations for the Christmas period, in addition to the rules that had been determined.

António Costa called for gatherings to be limited "as far as possible" to the "family nucleus" and called for the wearing of masks.