Portugal will reopen its border with Spain on Saturday as it eases its coronavirus measures two days ahead of schedule.
Prime Minister Antonio Costa announced the nation would be moving onto the “next phase of decontamination” on 1 May, after a council of ministers met to discuss the state of the pandemic.
As well as lifting controls at the border, which had been reimposed in January, gatherings such as weddings will once again be allowed, at 50 % capacity.
Furthermore, individuals will be allowed to enjoy outdoor and indoor sports again, while opening hours will extend for cafes, restaurants, shops, and cultural venues.
On Friday night, the state of a health emergency, which has been in force since November, will be downgraded to a “calamity situation”, a legal framework that will still allow the authorities to maintain certain restrictions still in force, such as the closure of bars and nightclubs, and the call for individuals to stay at home and telework whenever possible.
Restrictions on travel to Portugal, with the requirement of a negative test or quarantine for visitors from the most affected nations, will also be maintained, Costa stated.
Restrictions will remain tighter in a dozen municipalities with high incidence rate, he stated.
Portugal was hit earlier this yr by a violent outbreak of COVID-19, which overwhelmed the nation’s hospitals and led to a complete death toll of around 17,000 for a population of about 10 million.
However in a respite from a strict two-month containment, Portugal this week saw a day without a single death for the first time since early August.
And after peaking at nearly 13,000 infections per day at the end of January, the number of new cases per day has remained stable at around 500 since the beginning of the containment.
After the reopening of primary schools six weeks ago, the reopening of secondary schools, cafés, restaurants, and road outlets took place at the beginning of April.
In mid-April, the Portuguese were able to enter restaurants and cafés, high schools and universities shopping centers, cinemas, and theatres.