Lisbon takes a step back in the lockdown easing
Following several weeks of slow increase in the number of Covid cases, the Council of Lisbon and the surrounding Metropolitan area are taking a step back in the national process of lockdown easing, the Government announced after this Thursday’s Council of Ministers. The municipalities of Sesimbra and Albufeira will also be stepping back, which means that several restrictions will return, affecting restaurants, shops and freedom of movement to other regions.
The number of new Covid cases in the Lisbon Metropolitan area is of particular concern and the situation “is very complex”, noted the Minister for the Presidency of the Council of Ministers following the meeting, justifying the increasing growth of infections with the recently identified Delta strain of Covid-19. Movement to and from the Lisbon Metropolitan area will be forbidden between 3 p.m. on Friday and 6 a.m. on Monday for the second weekend in a row, with exception of people carrying a digital certificate of vaccination or immunity or travellers with negative tests in the last 72 hours (PCR) or 48 hours (antigen).
An additional 25 Councils were placed on the orange tier of monitoring, meaning that if those territories retain the current level of infections (over 120 cases per 100.000 inhabitants) during the next two weeks, they will also step back on the lockdown easing process. All these Councils will have limited closing times for restaurants, shops and shopping centres.
In the last 24 hours, the health authorities registered 1556 new cases of Covid-19 and two related deaths. Below is a summary of the new key rules.
Measures to be implemented in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area
- People are forbidden to leave the region or enter the region between 3 p.m. on Friday and 6 a.m. on Monday, unless they have a digital certificate of vaccination or immunity or a negative Covid-19 test in the last 72 hours (PCR) or 48 hours (antigen).
Measures to be implemented in the Councils of Lisbon, Sesimbra and Albufeira
- Restaurants, cafes, pastry shops, shops and non-food retailers will only be allowed to open on Saturdays and Sundays until 3:30 p.m. and will have to remain closed for the rest of the weekend.
- Food retailers and large retailers that sell food must close at no later than 7 p.m.
Measures to be implemented in the Councils on the orange tier of monitoring
- All restaurants and similar locations, as well as all shops and retailers must close at no later than 10:30 p.m.
- Lagos and Loulé (Algarve), Sintra, Cascais, Oeiras, Almada and Setúbal are among the municipalities impacted by these measures.
Tiago Vidal
Partner and Managing Director LLYC Portugal
Responsible for the operations of LLYC in Portugal, Tiago Vidal leads a team of experts responsible for the development and implementation of Reputation Management strategies, Communications and Public Affairs in leading companies in sectors such as Finance, Real Estate, Energy, Transport and Logistics, Distribution, Automotive, and FMCG. He was previously Head of Corporate Communications at Sonae Sierra, where he led all B2B communication activities in 14 countries. During his 16 years at Sonae Sierra, Tiago was responsible for reputation management, brand, corporate marketing and PR, relationship with stakeholders and crisis communications, including IPO’s, mergers and acquisitions.
Maria Eça
Client Services Director
Maria is responsible for the Public Affairs and Crisis&Risks areas in LLYC in Portugal, working with clients from the banking and insurance sector, health, online gambling and retail. She is advising companies such as Leroy Merlin, Liberty Seguros and Unilever. She has also participated in M&A and foreign investment projects.
With over 8 years’ experience as a journalist, specializing in economics and society, Maria worked at TVI (private television), where she had the chance to follow and report Portugal’s key issues and relevant news about the main companies operating in the country, on a daily basis.