The country with the highest vaccination rate in the entire European Union - about 87% of a population of 10 million people have received the full guideline - is also not immune to a fifth wave of coronavirus. With an incidence of 325 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, Portugal today enters a state of calamity, one step below the state of emergency (used to decree confinements). Thus begins a period marked by the return of the mandatory digital certificate and teleworking, as well as the reinforcement of travel controls.
A day before these measures took effect, 2907 new infections were registered, a considerable increase compared to those reported on Monday, 1635. The coordinator of the National Commission for Intensive Medicine Response, João Gouveia, warned that these are "worrying" numbers. and "we cannot make the same mistakes, we must prevent the bomb in our hands from exploding again." The country "is not as well as it would like to be," admitted Prime Minister Antonio Costa. Asked if new restrictions will be necessary during Christmas, Costa said today that "we must always be vigilant to take new measures, if necessary. This is how we have been living the last two years and we have managed to resist, although it has been difficult for everyone" , he claimed.
Among the restrictions that come into operation today and will be in force until March 20, highlights the return of Covid digital certificates, which will be necessary for almost everything (except to go to mass) or the adoption of a "week of containment "after Christmas.
DIGITAL CERTIFICATE AND MASKS
You will have to present the certificate proving being vaccinated, recovered or having a negative Covid test, to enter restaurants, tourist accommodation, gyms, leisure or cultural events with marked squares, gyms or casinos (you will not need to present it to go to mass ). In addition, to enter hospitals, residences, discotheques and large cultural or sporting events -both in closed spaces and outdoors-, a negative test must necessarily be presented, also vaccinated people
