Covid-19, Portugal’s decontamination plan: what you need to know

March 11, 2021

On this blog, as you know, I like to share with you life in Portugal and all the beauty this beautiful country has to offer. Unfortunately, news from Portugal (and the world) also includes our beloved covid-19. A little over a year after the start of this pandemic, and following numerous requests on the Facebook group Amoureux du Portugal, I’m dedicating this new article to the current situation and the recently announced decontamination plan in Portugal.

Coronavirus in Portugal for 1 year

In March 2020, as in most of Europe, Portugal experienced its first containment. Containment was implemented fairly quickly in Portugal.

May 2020 saw the start of decontainment. Restaurants, gyms, non-food stores… reopened. Of course, barrier gestures and social distancing were put in place: masks were worn, hydro-alcoholic gel was used at the entrance to all stores, restaurants…

In October, a second wave made itself felt in Portugal, but to avoid closing everything down, the Portuguese government introduced an evening curfew on weekdays and a 1 p.m. curfew at weekends, as well as travel bans between municipalities.

Until the end of 2020, Portugal was considered a “good covid pupil”, and the media even spoke of the “Portuguese miracle”. But all that changed at Christmas. The end-of-year festivities, the cold and the variants … brought the start of a third catastrophic wave for Portugal, with a sharp rise in the number of new cases of covid-19 and deaths.

In mid-January, the Portuguese government announced that the country would not be able to close down economically, and took the tough decision to re-confine everything.

Bythe end of January 2021, Portugal had become the worst country in the world in terms of the number of cases per 100 inhabitants, with peaks of 15,000 cases and over 300 deaths per day for a country of 10 million inhabitants.

In mid-March, after 2 months of confinement, the situation in Portugal improved, with fewer than 1,000 new cases and fewer than 30 deaths per day.

Photo credit: pressminho.com

Outline of the containment plan in Portugal. Measures to be implemented from March 15, 2021

The decontamination plan in Portugal announced by the government is scheduled to run from March 15 to May 3, and may change depending on the country’s covid-19 situation.

TRAFFIC BANS

No traffic between municipalities on the weekends of March 21, March 26 and April 5.

From March 15 :

Opening of crèches and 1 cycle (elementary school)
Hairdressers and beauty salons open
Bookshops and libraries open

From April 5 :

Cafés and patisseries open to a maximum of 4 people
Opening of museums, monuments and galleries
Opening of stores under 200m2
Opening of 2nd and 3rd cycles (secondary schools)
Opening of sports halls but without group classes

From April 19 :

Outdoor physical activity allowed for groups of up to 6 people
Opening of all stores and shopping centers
Opening of higher education
Bars, restaurants and cafés will be able to open their interiors to a maximum of 4 people indoors or 6 people on the terrace, closing at 10 p.m. on weekdays and 1 p.m. on weekends and public holidays.
Opening hours for theaters, cinemas and concert halls

From May 3 :

Bars, restaurants and cafés will be able to open their interiors to a maximum of 6 people indoors and 10 people on the terrace, with no time limits
Classes resume in gyms

source : https://covid19estamoson.gov.pt/plano-desconfinamento-datas-regras/

The tests

A negative PCR test less than 72 hours old is required to enter Portugal by air or land.

If you need to take a test in Portugal, to go to France for example, here is a list of Portuguese laboratories that carry out tests. The cost of an antigenic test is around €35, and a PCR test around €100. (If you have Portuguese health insurance and a prescription, you can ask your insurance company to reimburse you for the test)

Please note that only the PCR test is valid for air travel. The antigenic test is not valid.

In conclusion

Of course, you must continue to respect the rules put in place by your country. It’s important to keep abreast of developments, and I invite you to consult the government website and the website of the French Embassy in Portugal.

Finally, I remind you that if you have any symptoms on the spot, contact the SAUDE 24 number(Portuguese health service) on 808 24 24 24.

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