Portugal to end most of Covid-19 restrictions as cases fall

The Portuguese Council of Ministers announced on Thursday that most of the COVID-19 limitations will be lifted.

The termination of required separation after harmful interactions, remote working guidelines, and capacity restrictions in commercial enterprises are among the major changes that will be implemented in the next days, according to Minister of State Mariana Vieira da Silva.

Negative testing will no longer be required for big events, sports stadiums, pubs and nightclubs, and the COVID-19 digital certificate will no longer be required, except at health care facilities and at the country’s borders.

‘It is a very important moment. It is another step toward a return to a normal life’, Vieira da Silva said. The new approach just requires the president of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, to give his final assent.

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Masks must be worn indoors, such as on public transportation or in stores. The administration also stated that all remaining coronavirus restrictions will be lifted over the next five weeks. ‘We only stop having measures when we reach 20 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants’, Vieira da Silva added.

On Wednesday, Portugal recorded roughly 20,000 new cases, down from a high of 65,706 on January 27. Deaths and hospitalizations have been maintained substantially below levels observed in previous waves thanks to widespread immunisation and the milder Omicron variety.