After the reopening, the country takes a step back.
Portugal, faced with an upsurge in the coronavirus epidemic due to the Delta variant, has decided to re-establish a night curfew from Friday in 45 municipalities including Lisbon, the government announced on Thursday.
"We note that last week the situation has deteriorated again," Minister of the Presidency Mariana Vieira da Silva told a press conference, adding that "the conditions are not met to say that the pandemic is under control ”.
This “ban on driving on public roads” will apply to the municipalities most affected by Covid-19 incidence rate, including the Portuguese capital and Porto, every day from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m.
A new case record
The reduction in the hours of cafes and restaurants, already in place in Lisbon and in two other municipalities, will also be extended to 16 new towns.
These establishments will have to close their doors at 10:30 p.m. on weekdays and 3:30 p.m. on weekends.
Portugal crossed the barrier of 2,000 new cases in 24 hours on Wednesday, according to the health authorities.
This is the highest level recorded since mid-February, when the country of 10 million inhabitants was under general containment.
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The Delta variant of the coronavirus, which has caused a rebound in contagions in Portugal in recent weeks, has become predominant in the country, according to data made public by the Directorate General of Health (DGS).
In Portugal, more than 50% of the population has already received a first injection and 32% are fully vaccinated, according to the latest data from the DGS.
Since the start of the pandemic, Portugal has recorded 17,101 deaths and 882,002 cases according to health authorities.