During the meeting of the Council of Ministers, this morning (27.08) it was decided and later announced by the Minister of the Presidency Mariana Vieira da Silva, that from the 15th of September the whole country will return to a ‘State of Contingency.’ The objective, according to the minister, is to “prepare for the return to school and work” for many Portuguese citizens.”
In her statement, the minister said that from the 1st to the 14th of September everything will remain as it is now, this is because the numbers are stable, the National Health Service (SNS) response is controlled, and the testing capacity has been increased; but we decided now that from the 15th of September the country will return to a State of Contingency with a set of measures that will allow us to prepare for the autumn and winter months.
These new measures will be presented after the 7th of September.
Portugal’s previous ‘State of Contingency’ rules included the following measures:-
- Gatherings reduced to a max of 10 persons.
- All public spaces will close at 8 p.m. except for supermarkets, petrol stations, pharmacies, funeral homes, and medical centres which will close at 10 p.m.
- Restaurants may remain open until 1 a.m. and accept new customers until midnight.
- No consumption of alcohol in public spaces, except in restaurants, cafés, and bars.
- Petrol stations are prohibited from selling alcohol.
- Police presence will be increased to deter large gatherings.
- Organisers and participants of large gatherings will be fined.
Info from US Embassy in Portugal website.
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com
