Portugal lifts Covid restrictions as cases drop
The Portuguese government has announced that it is ending coronavirus restrictions, following the path of other European countries where an increase in cases attributed to the Omicron variant is declining.
Among the requirements removed are isolation if a close contact tests positive, limiting the number of people congregating in public spaces, producing a digital vaccination certificate to access restaurants and other venues, and proof of a negative test to participate in sporting events. , bars and discos.
However, face masks must always be worn indoors and a digital vaccination certificate must be presented to enter the country and during hospital and nursing home visits.
“It’s one more step towards a normal life that was snatched away almost two years ago,” Cabinet spokeswoman Mariana Vieira da Silva told a news conference.
The number of officially reported new daily cases of Covid-19 has fallen to nearly 16,500 from more than 50,000 last month.
Daily deaths peaked at 303 in mid-January but fell to 42 on Wednesday.
The number of hospitalized Covid-19 patients stands at just over 2,000 while at the end of last month it was nearly 7,000. The number of patients in ICUs peaked at 904 in January and is now 132.