The last phase of the lifting of restrictions imposed to control the pandemic enters into force in mainland Portugal on Friday, with the reopening of bars and clubs and the end of occupancy restrictions for shops and restaurants.
On Friday, the mainland will also be in alert situation, the lowest level of response to disaster situations provided for in the Basic Civil Protection Law and which will be in force until 23:59 on 31 October.
As foreseen in this third phase of deconfinement, commercial establishments, restaurants, cafes and in general commerce are no longer subject to a maximum number of customers or people per group, and restrictions on their opening hours are also lifted.
The nightlife spaces, closed since March 2020 due to the covid-19 pandemic, may reopen as of Friday, at a time when the country is about to reach 85% of residents with full vaccination.
The use of masks will be mandatory in public transport, in Citizens’ Shops, in schools (except in outdoor recreational spaces), in concert halls, cinemas, congress halls, event venues, health services and in residential structures for the elderly, as well as in commercial spaces with an area greater than 400 square meters, including shopping centers.
At the base of this decision is the criterion of places with high frequency of people, such as public transport; risky spaces, such as nursing homes and hospitals, and places with large crowds for longer periods, such as concert halls.
Restaurant customers and hotel guests no longer have to present the vaccination certificate or negative test to covid-19, the same goes for group classes in gyms and access to gambling establishments, casinos, bingos, spas and spas.
Entrance to bars and clubs is dependent on presentation of the certificate, but only for customers, as workers and suppliers are exempt from this rule.
As of Friday, the recommendation for teleworking also ends, without prejudice to the maintenance of time mismatch, and the rule that imposed testing in companies with more than 150 workers in the same workplace is eliminated.
The sale and consumption of alcohol is another restriction that also ends, as well as time limits that had been imposed due to the pandemic.
Keeping up with the pace of vaccination against covid-19, the restriction-relief plan went into effect on August 1, followed by the second phase on the 23rd of the same month and now the third phase on Friday.
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