Covid-19 in Portugal: new rules from December 1?

November 27, 2021

Portugal is the European country with the highest Covid-19 vaccination rate, with around 88.89% of people already vaccinated with at least one dose (data November 2021) . Broad vaccination coverage appears to be having an effect on preventing deaths caused by the disease, with Portugal ranking among the European countries with the lowest number of new daily deaths per million inhabitants. However, the virus is still spreading with this 5th wave. In order to contain it, measures against Covid-19 in Portugal have just been reinforced. These will take effect from December 1, 2021. Portugal goes into a state of emergency (state of calamity). What changes? We’ll find out in this article.

November 2021 data – Source: ourworldindata.com – % of people vaccinated at least 1 dose vs. number of daily deaths linked to covid-19

Travel to Portugal

Portugal requires a negative test on arrival even for vaccinated travelers: a PCR test less than 72 h or an antigenic test less than 48 h. A measure that applies not just to air travel, but also to land, sea and river routes. All airlines are required to provide this information when passengers check in. Prime Minister António Costa has announced that airlines that fail to check passengers’ covid-19-negative status will be fined €20,000 per passenger. For land, air and river passengers, the fine is set at between €300 and €800 for all those who fail to present a negative Covid-19 test.

Measures put in place in connection with Covid-19 in Portugal

From December 1, 2021, masks will once again be mandatory in all enclosed spaces.

A health pass must be presented for :

restaurants,
tourist and hotel establishments,
shows with numbered seats,
gyms.

The presentation of a test is mandatory (antigenic or PCR), including for vaccinated individuals for:

visits to retirement homes,
visits to patients interned in health establishments,
bars,
discotheques,
stadiums and other events without numbered seats.

Contactless week to be introduced in early 2022

In order to stem the growth of Covid-19 in Portugal after the festive season, the introduction of a so-called “contactless week” will see the light of day in early 2022. What does this mean? By “contactless”, the government means :

Extended school Christmas vacations. School will resume on January 10, 2022. All schools, from nursery to high school, public or private, will be closed from January 2 to January 9, 2022.
Mandatory teleworking.
Bars and nightclubs will be closed from January 2 to January 9, 2022.

This extra week of vacation will be offset by 2 days of vacation withdrawn from the Carnival vacation and 2 days of vacation withdrawn from the Easter vacation.

Vaccination

For adults, the following can be vaccinated before the festive season:

People over 65 who received the 2nd dose more than 5 months ago,
People who have a prescription for the 3rd dose.
People cured of Covid-19 more than 150 days ago.
People over 50 vaccinated more than 5 months ago with the single dose of Janssen.

For children, vaccination with Pfizer for children over 5 has just been authorized by the European Medicines Agency. The pediatric dose will be three times smaller than the adult dose, but with similar efficacy and protection against the strong symptoms of covid-19. The DGS (Portugal’s Department of Health) is in the process of approving this pediatric vaccine. If approved, the first vaccinations should take place from December 20, 2021, when these pediatric vaccines are due to arrive in Portugal.

In conclusion

Please continue to respect the rules set by the country. It is important to keep you informed of developments and I invite you to visit the government and the site of the French Embassy in Portugal.

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

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