Portugal to enter state of contingency as of September 15th, worsening forecast imposes new measures

The COVID-19 figures for this week show that a worsening of the pandemic situation in Portugal may be on the horizon. The Government guarantees that it is keeping an eye on the epidemiological situation, and that it is for this reason that it has already decided that there will be an increase in the country’s state of alertness up to the state of contingency, as of September 15th. The goal is to take new measures and “prepare for autumn/winter”, when numbers are expected to increase.

What measures will result from this new situation is not yet known. Throughout Europe there are countries imposing mandatory mask use outdoors and bans on smoking in public spaces. Here, the Government has not yet decided on the measures, which should be announced in the week before the country’s entry into contingency, that is, following a meeting of the Council of Ministers on the 8^th of September.

Scientists and politicians will resume their meetings at Infarmed’s headquarters to discuss the necessary conditions to combat the pandemic. The decision was revealed this Thursday after this week’s Council of Ministers meeting.

In Lisbon nothing changes, as it has been in a state of contingency since July and will continue to do so, with all measures to be extended for another 15 days. What changes is in the rest of the country, since as of September 15, the entirety of mainland Portugal will also be in a state of contingency, which gives authorities legislative powers to take new measures.

The Government’s decision coincides with the return of Portugal’s 2 million students to face-to-face learning in schools, as well as the return to offices of many who had been teleworking, said the Minister of Cabinet Affairs, Mariana Vieira da Silva.