Portugal has seen a surge in COVID-19 cases within the past 2 months that forced the country back into lockdown. Lisbon and other cities in Portugal were beginning to reopen restaurants, cafés, and indoor activities for local residents who were stuck in isolation after the coronavirus impacted the country. Once people flocked to go outside and take advantage of the opportunity to do outdoor activities, government officials are warning people to ease their way back into society because they don’t want to see another spike in cases.
The Portuguese parliament will impose a nighttime curfew if cases rise again because Portugal suffered from the worst COVID-19 resurgence in January compared to other countries. Portugal has had over 800,000 coronavirus cases and nearly 17,000 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic. Local officials are trying to slow the progression of cases to around 100 per day so that the country can return to its normal state.
The government will take action later this week whether they should loosen COVID-19 restrictions in the more affected Algarve region of Portugal. The country is only in its second phase of easing their state health regulations against the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Since March 15, stricter regulations have been loosened in regard to the mandatory January lockdown. Now, gyms, schools, museums, and fairs are allowed to be open which is definitely a step in the right direction, especially in terms of restoring the economy from the past 2 months of drastic economic loss.
If COVID-19 cases drop further, indoor movie theaters, malls, and non-essential businesses will be allowed to open within 2 weeks time. This is a huge hurdle Portugal will be leaping over from the beginning of 2021 that proved to be difficult for the country and its local economy.