RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – With cases of Covid-19 on the rise, Portugal has decided to tighten controls on entry to restaurants and hotels. The measure is an attempt to prevent new infections while maintaining the functioning of the food and tourism sector during the peak season of the European summer.
Entry to the interiors of restaurants or check-in to hotels, guesthouses, and vacation rentals requires presenting a negative test result for Covid-19 or proof of full vaccination protection against the disease.
For restaurants, the measure applies only on weekends (after 7 PM on Friday) in the 60 cities classified as high or very high contagion. The list includes Lisbon and Porto. For hotel establishments, the requirement applies daily and covers the entire area. Children up to 12 years of age are exempt.
PCR tests performed up to 72 hours before the presentation are acceptable. Rapid antigen tests with laboratory reports are valid for 48 hours. Facilities will also accept what is known as a European digital certificate, which certifies immunization, a recent laboratory test, or proof that the person has had Covid for less than six months.
Recognizing that there are still restrictions on access to the European Union digital certificate and laboratory tests, the government has also released the use of rapid self-tests that must be performed upon entry into facilities.
These antigen tests cost about 2.70 euros (R$16.80) and are easily found in pharmacies and supermarkets. Hotels and restaurants can sell them themselves.
A national government testing program guarantees up to four free antigen tests per month at partner pharmacies. Some cities, such as Lisbon and Cascais, have their own independent free screening programs.
The requirement does not apply to customers who are in outdoor areas of restaurants. Responsibility for control over testing and digital certificates is left to establishments. Customers who disregard the measure will face fines ranging from 100 euros to 500 euros (R$620 to R$3,100). For hotels and restaurants, the penalty can be up to 10,000 euros (R$ 62,000).
With the requirement to prove vaccination or a negative test for Covid-19, the government has decided to extend the opening hours of restaurants on weekends. Because of the increase in infections, restaurants in the most affected cities were forced to close at 3:30 PM on Saturdays and Sundays.
To try to stop the spread of the Delta variant, first identified in India, in the country, authorities even imposed restrictions on entering or leaving the Lisbon metropolitan area on recent weekends.
Because the new strain is already widespread throughout Portuguese territory – it accounted for 89.1% of cases last week, according to the National Institute of Health’s Dr. Ricardo Jorge – restrictions on its spread in the greater Lisbon area have now been lifted.
4TH WAVE
The emergence of the variant Delta is thought to be driving this fourth wave of Covid-19 in the country. Portugal has seen a 54% daily average increase in new cases of coronavirus over the past week. Thursday (8) marked the second consecutive day that more than 3,000 cases were recorded in the last 24 hours. The nine deaths recorded on Wednesday represent the highest level in the last three months.