RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Portuguese government has ordered the closure of schools and universities for at least 15 days as the country breaks the record for Covid-19 deaths for the fourth consecutive day, Prime Minister Antonio Costa announced on Thursday, January 21st.
“Despite the extraordinary effort of schools, given this new strain and the speed of its transmission, we must be cautious and interrupt all school activities for the next 15 days,” said Costa, referring to the strain first detected in December in the United Kingdom, with an infection rate 70% higher than normal and spreading rapidly throughout Portugal.
This strain could account for about 60% of new infections in Portugal in the coming weeks, compared to the rate of 20% now, the Prime Minister stated.
On Thursday, Portugal’s death toll reached a record 221. In total, 9,686 people have died of Covid-19 in the country.
As the pandemic spreads, the Portuguese hospital system is under severe pressure. A total of 13,544 cases were reported in the past 24 hours, and although this was approximately one thousand fewer new infections than the preceding day, the situation is alarming. Over the past seven days, the country reported the worst average of new infections in the world: 1.04 per one million inhabitants, according to data from Our World in Data website.
When the Portuguese government decided to close educational facilities, it advised that classes will not be moved to the online model. The 15 days will essentially consist of a vacation period, with lessons recuperated during other vacation periods.
With schools closed, parents of children up to 12 years of age will be allowed to be absent from work and receive financial support during the period. The Portuguese courts are also suspending the trial of non-urgent cases, according to the Prime Minister.
The Catholic Church had also announced on Saturday that it would suspend all public masses.
A week ago, the country went into quarantine again, closing hotels, cafés, restaurants and other non-essential services. However, essential trade, such as supermarkets and pharmacies, remains open. At that time, it was decided to keep the schools open, which divided experts consulted by the government.
Meanwhile, ambulances form lines outside Portuguese hospitals, waiting for available beds. On Tuesday, an elderly man died in an ambulance after waiting three hours inside the vehicle in the city of Portalegre.