Portugal plans to further ease coronavirus restrictions next week amid an improving epidemic situation.
This is reported by agency AR.
Starting next Monday, Portugal is expected to lift restrictions on the opening hours of restaurants and cafes, allow large indoor and outdoor events, albeit with a limited number of participants, and increase the number of people who can attend weddings and christenings.
The rules of social distancing and the wearing of masks must remain in force.
Health experts at a meeting with the country’s political leaders, including the president and Prime Minister, on Tuesday, said that the trend in the health sector has remained stable in recent weeks.
Portugal was the world’s worst-hit country in January, weeks after lifting a strict four-day quarantine on Christmas Day. But the spread of the virus slowed after the introduction of a strict lockdown in the same month. Authorities gradually began easing restrictions six weeks ago.
On Monday, there were no official deaths from COVID-19 in Portugal for the first time since early August. No deaths have been reported in nursing homes in two weeks.
The incidence rate of the virus per 100,000 people within 14 days in Portugal is 67 cases. At the end of January, this figure was 1,628 people.
In intensive care units in a country of 10.3 million people, there were more than 900 patients in early February, and now there are 91.
All people over the age of 60 are expected to be vaccinated by May 23.
It is also likely that the state of emergency, introduced just over a year ago to give the government the power to impose lockdown, will not be extended beyond this week.
