Current state of play - Covid and post-Brexit

Government announces new phases of deconfinement

Prime Minister António Costa stated that Portugal will have two new phases of deconfinement during the month of June: one from the 14th and the other from the 28th and that will last until the end of August.

At the press conference after the meeting of the Council of Ministers , the Prime Minister highlighted that the country "is in a position to continue the process of deconfinement" taking into account the positive evolution that the pandemic has had, with the level of vaccination evolving. as planned, with the situation under control in the National Health Service and with a reduction in the mortality rate related to the infection.

António Costa referred that the risk matrix that has been adopted by the Government will be maintained, but a differentiation will be introduced between the low density territories, which occupy more than two thirds of the continental territory, and the remaining areas of the continental territory, with greater population density.

The Prime Minister stressed that the current formula from 120 or 240 cases per 100,000 inhabitants for 14 days "is heavily penalizing in low density territories." Thus, in low-density territories, the maximum thresholds will be doubled: they will be 240 when they used to be 120 and 480 where they used to be 240.

Release from June 14th

The first new deconfinement phase takes effect on June 14 and includes:

- Recommended telework in activities that allow it;

- Restaurants, cafes and patisseries with current rules and capacity until midnight for admission and 1:00 am for closing;

- Full capacity on public transport where there are only seats;

- Two-thirds capacity on public transport where there is seating and standing;

- Cultural shows until midnight;

- Showrooms with 50% capacity;

- Outside the concert halls, marked places and application of the distance rules defined by the DGS;

- Levels of training and amateur modalities with marked places and distance rules defined by the DGS;

- Sports venues with 33% of the capacity and, outside sports venues, rules to be defined by the DGS will apply.

Release from June 28

The second new deconfinement phase takes effect on July 28, will run until the end of August and includes:

- Public transport without restriction of capacity;

- Citizen Shops without prior appointment;

- Professional sports classes or equivalent to other rules to be defined by the DGS, with a capacity of 33% inside the venues and with other rules to be defined by the DGS outside the venues.

António Costa highlighted that the DGS may exercise specific rules for sports venues, such as mandatory testing if deemed appropriate, and added that there are restrictions that will remain in force during this period: bars and clubs will remain closed, festivals and popular pilgrimages will be Prohibited and weddings, baptisms and other events of a family nature must respect a capacity of 50% of the venues.

Penalty for councils that exceed maximum thresholds

The Prime Minister also mentioned the penalties for councils that during this period exceed the maximum thresholds.

For municipalities in low-density territories that exceed 240 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in 14 days and municipalities in high-density territories that exceed 120 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in 14 days, teleworking will be mandatory when functions allow, restaurants will be open until 22:30, cultural shows will be open at the same time and retail stores may be open until 21:00.

When the incidence rate exceeds 240 cases per 100,000 inhabitants for 14 days (or 480 in the case of low-density territories), restaurants, cafes and patisseries maintain opening hours until 22:30 during the week and will have to close until 3:30 pm on weekends and holidays, cultural shows will respect the same time as the catering and weddings, baptisms and other family events will have a maximum capacity of 25%.

Prime Minister António Costa reiterated that the assessment will be weekly and the application of these restrictions will only take place after these maximum thresholds have been exceeded in consecutive weeks.