Negative test needed to eat in restaurants on weekends // Vaccine rollout ramps up, everyone 25+ eligible
Portuguese news in English on Friday, July 9, 2021.
Hi all, sorry these newsletters have been coming out on different days lately. I’ve been trying to juggle work and taking a break while also reacting to what the government is doing. Restrictions are basically changing every Thursday now, so I’ll be sending this newsletter on Thursday night or Friday for the foreseeable future.
By the numbers
Well, with three days in a row of more than 3000 cases, and more than a week of almost as high numbers before that, the graph is starting to look a bit ugly again. We’re back at average numbers that we haven’t really seen since February and way outside of the government’s previously defined targets. Both deaths and hospitalisations are rising steadily but it’s pretty slow still, with the number of people in ICU twice what it was a month ago. The average number of COVID-19 patients dying per day is roughly comparable to the figures we saw in April this year or September last year, when cases were around 500 a day as opposed to 2000-3000.
Negative test needed to eat in restaurants on weekends
The government has completely reworked the weekend restaurant restrictions in high-risk councils and scrapped the ban on entering and leaving greater Lisbon. Restaurants can again open until 10.30pm on the weekend but you’ll need to show a negative test or EU Digital COVID Certificate to eat inside, Público reports. The new rule applies from 7.30pm on Fridays until 10.30pm on Sundays, every weekend, but only comes into force from this Saturday at 3.30pm, to give businesses a chance to adapt. You can eat on an esplanada (terrace) without showing a test and yes, you can still enter to use the toilet.
Four types of negative tests are accepted. You can show a PCR test taken in the past 72 hours or an antigen test with a lab report in the past 48. You can also show a self-test (also antigen) that’s been taken in the past 24 hours, so long as it was done in front of a health or pharmacy professional who has certified the result. The fourth option is to do a self-test at the door of the restaurant, under the verification of a staffer.
The same testing requirement applies to hotels and Alojamento Local(basically anything from Airbnb, Booking.com etc) throughout the whole country, but not the Azores or Madeira, Diário de Notícias reports.
Restrictions tightened in more councils
Restrictions have tightened again in Porto, Faro and Lagos, while Vila Nova de Gaia, Matosinhos and Aveiro have taken a step back for the first time, Público reports. Except for the changes I’ve mentioned above, the tougher pandemic measures remain broadly the same, including the 11pm curfew but now affect 60 council areas. You can double check the rules applicable to high-risk and very high-risk councils, as well as how they are defined, in my June 25 newsletter.
The very high-risk councils are: Albufeira, Alcochete, Almada, Amadora, Arruda dos Vinhos, Avis, Barreiro, Cascais, Faro, Lagos, Lisboa, Loulé, Loures, Lourinhã, Mafra, Mira, Moita, Montijo, Mourão, Nazaré, Odivelas, Oeiras, Olhão, Porto, Santo Tirso, São Brás de Alportel, Seixal, Sesimbra, Silves, Sintra, Sobral de Monte Agraço, Vagos and Vila Franca de Xira.
The high-risk councils are: Albergaria-a-Velha, Alenquer, Aveiro, Azambuja, Bombarral, Braga, Cartaxo, Constância, Ílhavo, Lagoa, Matosinhos, Óbidos, Palmela, Portimão, Rio Maior, Salvaterra de Magos, Santarém, Portimão, Rio Maior, Salvaterra de Magos, Santarém, Setúbal, Sines, Torres Vedras, Trancoso, Trofa, Viana do Alentejo, Vila Nova de Famalicão, Vila Nova de Gaia and Viseu.
Vaccine rollout ramps up, everyone 25+ eligible
Things have taken a really positive leap forward in the vaccine rollout as Portugal pumps out 150,000 doses a day or more, among the most in the world by population, Público reports. The online booking portal is now accepting those 25 or older and National Health System (SNS) users older than 45 can turn up to their local vaccine centre late in the day without an appointment (Directorate-General of Health timetable here). Depending on where you go, you should be prepared for a decent wait to get your jab, even with an appointment but you can check the predicted time here (in Portuguese). In other news, CNN reports, in English, that Pfizer is already preparing to seek approval for a third booster shot as early as next month.
In good news for people without an SNS user number, the government says it has invited 7000 foreigners who signed up on the Vaçinação não utente (people without an SNS number) portal to get vaccinated, Público reports. Unfortunately, that means about 23,000 still haven’t heard anything but the government guarantees everyone who signed up will be contacted. Casa do Brasil, which helps Brazilian immigrants here in Portugal, has been receiving 10 complaints a day from people who haven’t heard back and there are people who have been waiting months for an SNS number. Hopefully I will be able to send out a sort of rough guide next week from someone who recently successfully went through the process of getting an SNS number.
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In brief
Benfica club president suspends duties amid tax fraud probe. Luis Filipe Vieira was detained two days ago as part of an investigation into alleged tax fraud and money laundering. (Reuters, in English)
Portuguese millionaire art collector detained in tax fraud probe. One of Portugal’s richest men was under scrutiny for years, suspected of committing crimes relating to nearly €1 billion of loans received from Portuguese banks. (Reuters, in English)
Minister won’t resign after his official car kills road worker on motorway. There are questions over how fast the car, in which Eduardo Cabrita was a passenger, was travelling. (Público)
Boris Johnson to scrap most of England's Covid rules from 19 July (The Guardian, in English)
Germany takes Portugal off the travel red list. Unvaccinated arrivals will still have to quarantine for at least five days. (Expresso)
On a lighter note
Public transport provider Carris is testing a rideshare-bus hybrid in Lisbon that has the potential to be pretty cool. XBUS, which TimeOut reports is only in testing until July 15 in an area that takes in parts of Avenidas Novas, Campolide and São Domingos de Benfica, allows users to quickly hail a bus to one of 60 stops. The idea is to stop buses running routes while relatively empty while giving commuters a way to get around that’s almost as quick as rideshares or taxis but costs the same as a bus.
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