Anticipating closure of school activities, in addition to other measures planned for the first week of January, has been decreed due to the worsening epidemiological situation in Portugal.

Family support moved up a week 

The government has decided to bring forward support for families to next week, as the closure of crèches and leisure workshops (ATLs), which was scheduled for the week of confinement between January 3 and 9, will take place on December 25.

"We will have family support. During the first week of confinement, schools will not be operating, as it is the week between Christmas and New Year, so support only applies to parents of children in nurseries or ATLs, which will close. 

In the second week, the one that was already scheduled and which is the first of January, the schools would already be open and as a result, we will also be granting this family support to parents who have children in the schools," said the Prime Minister's Under-Secretary of State, Tiago Antunes, speaking to RTP3.

In practice, explains Tiago Antunes, "the support is the same, it simply aims to support what was supposed to be open and is finally closed: the first week, it's the crèches and the ATL, the second week, it's also the schools".

The early closure of these school activities, in addition to other measures planned for the first week of January, was decreed due to the worsening epidemiological situation in Portugal.

The government had already announced that support for families would return in the first week of January. Find out more about this "help" at here. 

This aid is intended for those with children under 12, but in the case of teleworking, it only applies to parents whose children are in school up to 4th grade.