Portugal’s state of emergency has been extended for another two weeks starting tomorrow night, Nov. 24 — a day after the current two-week state of emergency ends.
Most of the same restrictions remain in place as before: a curfew from 23h to 5h, businesses closing at 22h, restaurants closing at 22h30, events and celebrations limited to no more than five people unless they’re in the same family, and the mandatory use of masks in public places when social distancing isn’t possible, with fines for those who disobey but exceptions for those exercising, as before.
Masks are now also mandatory at places of work.
Related: Portugal’s State of Emergency Extended, New Year’s Eve Travel Banned
And there’s one very big change: while we’ve all had to stay home from 13h until 8h these past two weekends, that now only applies to those who live in a concelho (municipality) with an elevated or extremely elevated risk of infection.
Infelizmente, that includes Lisbon, Porto, Almada, Sintra, Setúbal, Oeiras, and about 200 others — and the list will only be updated again in 15 days. You can see the restrictions, and check on where your concelho stands, on the government’s website here.
But it gets worse: all of us in continental Portugal, regardless of location, are barred from leaving our concelho from 23h on Nov. 27 to 5h on Dec. 2, and again from 23h on Dec. 4 until the night of Dec. 8, to coincide with the Dec. 1 Restoration of Independence holiday and the Dec. 8 Feast of the Immaculate Conception.
Direção-Geral da Saúde reported 4,044 more positive COVID-19 cases on Monday, and 74 more people died over the preceding 24 hours. In all, Portugal now has close to 265,000 confirmed cases, around 177,000 of whom have recovered but 3,971 of whom have died — and more than 1,000 of them in the past two weeks, during which Portugal has been under a new state of emergency with tougher restrictions.
Hospitals currently have more than 3,200 COVID-19 patients, 498 of whom are in intensive care units (UCI).
Related: Portugal Passes UK, Spain in 14-Day COVID-19 Cases Per 100K, Curfew Likely to Be Extended
