Special measures for the region of Lisbon and the Tagus Valley are due to the significant increase in the number of coronavirus cases in recent days.
Shopping centers and restaurants in mainland Portugal reopen this Monday with new operating conditions, with the exception of shopping centers in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area (AML), which will remain closed at least until Thursday.
According to a decision by the Council of Ministers on Friday, shopping centers and citizen’s stores will remain closed in the AML until June 4, according to the third phase of the Government’s deconfination plan.
In the rest of the continental territory, shopping centers may reopen, with the Prime Minister, António Costa, to point out at the press conference after a meeting of the Council of Ministers that Alentejo, Algarve, Norte and Centro “have had an essentially stable level of evolution” , with a “sharp decrease in incidence” of the covid-19 pandemic, which does not happen in Lisbon and the Tagus Valley.
António Costa countered that the region of Lisbon and Vale do Tejo “has had a very significant increase in the number of cases” of covid-19, but stressed that the situation “does not reveal a situation, in any way, of lack of control”.
On Friday, the Prime Minister also announced that this week, on Thursday, the Council of Ministers will reevaluate whether or not there are conditions for the reopening of shopping centers in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area.
So, with the exception of Lisbon, citizen’s stores reopen this Monday, by appointment and with mandatory use of a mask, and also reopen stores with an area greater than 400 square meters, stores and restaurants inserted in shopping centers and ends the maximum capacity of 50%, keeping the minimum distance of 1.5 meters.
Also, catering establishments will be able, from this Monday, to use their maximum capacity again, as long as they manage to ensure a distance of 1.5 meters between the tables and put acrylics between customers, the Prime Minister said on Friday. .
“The rule of maximum capacity of 50% in restaurants disappears, maintaining the need for a distance of 1.5 meters, provided that an impermeable physical barrier is placed between customers,” said the head of the Government.
According to António Costa, “restaurants will be able to choose either to maintain the norms of reducing the capacity and the distance of two meters that is in force, or they can evolve to use their capacity 100% with the need of a meter and a half of spacing between tables, provided that there are impervious physical barriers separating diners at the same table “.
This is a decision “that will be the responsibility of each restaurant establishment”, he said.
The Government decided on Friday to postpone in the Metropolitan Area of Lisbon the lifting of some restrictions foreseen in the third phase of deflation, imposing special rules mainly related to activities that involve “large agglomerations of people”.
Know the main restrictions and rules imposed in the Metropolitan Area of Lisbon:
– Strengthening of epidemiological surveillance, in particular in activities that concentrate “a high number of foci of infection”: civil construction works and temporary work.
– Emergency resettlement plans to allow “separation of people who are infected”.
– Gatherings remain limited to 10 people.
– Private passenger transport vehicles with a maximum capacity of two thirds of passengers and mandatory use of a mask.
– Vehicles with capacity for more than five people can only drive with two thirds of the capacity, unless all occupants belong to the same household.
– The areas of food and beverage consumption (‘food-courts’) of the commercial complexes remain closed.
Until June 4th
– Shopping centers and Citizen Stores remain closed (the decision to keep shopping centers closed will be reassessed on June 4);
– The City Councils evaluate the continued suspension of the operation of stores with an area greater than 400m2 and the holding of fairs.
