As announced a few weeks ago by the Portuguese Directorate General of Health, Portugal will go fully into a state of contingency as of September 15th, in order to fight against the coronavirus epidemic. The purpose of this change is to introduce new routines in the face of the increase in new cases and the start of the school year. Also, some rules only concern the AML and the North region. New rules, new hours, Lisbob, the expatriate assistant, tells you all about this state of contingency in Portugal from September 15th.
All the details of the "contingency plan" in Portugal from September 15th
At the end of the Portuguese Council of Ministers meeting, Minister Mariana Vieira da Silva informed that the government had decided on new measures as of September 15 in order to fight against the coronavirus epidemic. The whole country will go into a "state of contingency", as the Metropolitan Area of Lisbon already is. Broadly speaking, the rules that are already in place in the AML are now being extended across the country.
From next Tuesday, as was already the case in the AML, gatherings of more than ten people will be banned. In addition, commercial establishments will not be able to open before 10 a.m. (with some exceptions), and will have to close between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m., the exact time being fixed by municipal decision. The ban on drinking alcohol on public roads is also extended to the whole country.
Regarding shopping center catering, there is now a maximum limit of four people per group to avoid crowds. This limit will also apply in cafes, pasteleria and restaurants located within 300m of a school, in order to reduce the increase in cases expected with the start of the school year.
The Portuguese Prime Minister also announced the creation of “district brigades” in order to fight quickly and more effectively the sources of contagion in the establishments of the elderly. He recalled that the country had around 2,500.
Regarding the opening of sports arenas to the public, and as the DGS had already announced, it is not for the moment. The reason according to Antonio Costa would be the behavior of the audience which is not the same as during a play.
The surprise of these announcements concerns 2 regions in particular: that of Lisbon and that of the North (Porto). In fact, faced with the increase in the number of cases in these two regions, Antonio Costa has announced measures only for these areas.
Regarding work, the Prime Minister announced the establishment of rotating and alternating schedules, between face-to-face work and telework. Also, break and meal times will need to be differentiated between employees, as well as entry and exit times.
