Portugal: Country starts 15-day state of emergency; curfew in high-risk areas

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Portugal: Country starts 15-day state of emergency; curfew in high-risk areas

2:52 CAT | 09 Nov 2020

File photo: AFP

Portugal on Monday entered a state of emergency to last until 23 November as part of the effort to combat the Covid-19 pandemic, with the imposition among other measures of an overnight curfew in 121 municipalities deemed to be most at risk in terms of new infections.

The curfew, under which residents must on weekdays be off the streets from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. and on the next two weekends from 1 p.m. to 5 a.m., is in force in municipalities that together have 70% of Portugal’s population, including all those in the Lisbon and Porto Metropolitan Areas.

The measure, which was approved by the cabinet at an extraordinary meeting on Saturday evening, foresees exceptions such as journeys to work or to return home, emergency situations, a daily walk in the vicinity of home, or taking a pet for a walk.

The government also approved other measures that will apply to mainland Portugal, such as the possibility of taking people’s temperature by non-invasive means as they enter their workplace, schools, means of transport, or commercial and sports areas.

The possibility is also foreseen of requiring diagnostic tests for Covid-19 in schools, homes, health establishments, on entering and leaving Portugal, in prisons or in other premises that the Directorate-General of Health might determine.

The new state of emergency also foresees the possibility of requisitioning private healthcare facilities and staff, as well as the mobilisation of human resources to increase tracking and tracing capacity, such as conducting epidemiological surveys or tracking the contacts of workers who are in self-isolation, teachers that are currently not assigned any classes or members of the military is another measure foreseen by the declaration of the state of emergency.

A number of measures had already been approved by the government last week, including limiting groups in restaurants to six people, unless they belong to the same household.

According to the Directorate-General of Health, Portugal has so far registered 2,896 deaths associated with Covid-19 and 179,324 cases of infection.

Source: Lusa