Special restrictions for Greater Lisbon as government confirms next stage of reopening
English language coronavirus news in Portugal on May 29, 2020.
We’re a little later than usual today because I had to wait for the Council of Ministers meeting to finish with all the latest updates. Have a great weekend and I’ll talk to you again on Monday.
After weeks of mostly see-sawing daily confirmed cases, we’re starting to see that figure tick up a little bit more every day. Today’s increase is the largest we’ve seen in 21 days and the fifth day in a row with a larger increase than the previous day. Deaths and recoveries remain steady, which means the number of active cases is also increasing ever so slightly day by day again. Director-General of health Graça Freitas said there were 4400 active cases in the Lisbon and Vale do Tejo region, where 92% of today’s cases were confirmed, PúblIco reported.
What you can do and what reopens from Monday
Gyms are a surprise addition to the list of businesses that can open from Monday, June 1, Público reports. Religious ceremonies return from this weekend, with shopping centres, shops bigger than 400 sq m, pre-schools, cinemas, theatres and concert venues allowed to reopen from Monday. Also from Monday, gatherings can include up to 20 people. There are three exceptions for Lisbon described below.
Telework will cease to be obligatory for all workers who can, but those in the key risk groups for COVID-19, parents with children up to 12 and people with disabilities can continue to work from home without the need to come to an agreement with their employer. The same goes if the Directorate-General of Health considers the workplace doesn’t have adequate safety measures. Other workers can, of course, still come to an agreement with their employer. DGS is recommending mismatched schedules or “mirrored” working arrangements where possible.
Also from Monday, restaurants will be able to operate at 100% capacity if they maintain 1.5 metres and place an impermeable physical barrier between groups. The rules for bars and nightclubs won’t be reviewed in the next 15 days.
Three special reopening restrictions for Greater Lisbon
Shopping centres will remain closed in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area until at least June 4 as the government carves out special measures for the capital, Diário de Notícias reports. Those measures, due to the elevated number of cases in the Lisbon and Tejo Valley region, include the continuation of a ban on gatherings of more than 10 people and reinforced epidemiological vigilance in construction sites and temporary work businesses. Passenger transport in private vehicles - the given example was a van taking workers to a worksite - will also be subject to the same two-third occupancy restrictions and mask-wearing obligations as public transport.
Prime Minister António Costa said the separate measures would be re-evaluated on Wednesday and left the decision as to whether or not to reopen shops (outside of shopping centres) with more than 400 sq m of floor space up to local authorities. You can check if your council is in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area here, if you’re not sure.
The figures that set Lisbon apart from the rest of the country
Since the start of reopening on May 4, Loures, to the north-west of Lisbon’s airport, has seen a 128% increase in confirmed cases. Speaking to Público, mayor Bernardino Soares called for more help to fight the pandemic, citing overloaded public transport and precarious work and housing situations. In Amadora - closer to the centre, but still outside of the Lisbon council area - and Barreiro and Moita, on the other side of the river, the figure is 116% and 108% in nearby Seixal. These numbers concern the health authorities as they plan the next stage of reopening, as laid out by Público in an article full of interesting charts that you don’t need to read Portuguese to understand. Prime Minister António Costa listed testing capacity, intensive care unit occupation and the number of COVID-19 cases being treated in hospital and at home as the three driving forces behind reopening decisions. But Público reports there are others under consideration, such as the number of tests actually completed per day, the transmission risk (That R value you keep seeing), and the daily evolution of cases. That’s all laid out in charts as well.
In brief
Portugal's once-booming tourism collapses due to coronavirus (Reuters, English)
In Greater Lisbon there are more than 200 illegal neighbourhoods - a fertile field for the virus (Público)
Teletrabalho expected to need a written agreement from next week (Diário de Notícias)
Infarmed suspends treatment hydroxychloroquine treatment for COVID-19 patients. Portugal is the fourth European country to make the call - after Italy, Belgium and France - since the World Health Organisation asked for its suspension. (Diário de Notícias)
Thank you so much again to everyone who has already subscribed or bought me a “tosta mista”. It really makes a big difference. If you missed the email explaining how to do it you can check it out here or hit one of these buttons to help out.
I’m hoping to keep as many expats informed as possible, so please share this with any friends you think might find it useful.
On a lighter note
Lisbon’s newest mural is an enormous 1000 square metres. At the start of this year, the city became the Green Capital of Europe. It feels like a lifetime ago, particularly because there was only time for a handful of initiatives and activities before the pandemic put a lot of it on hold. But Time Out reports that a new agenda should be announced in June and that for now, one physically huge example of the city’s efforts has already arrived. That would be a massive mural by artist Ivo Santos, known as SMile1art, which occupies a wall surrounding the Municipal Police buildings, near the Praça de Espanha metro station. You can watch a short video of the whole thing coming together here.