Government removes cultural events from travel exceptions

The government has rectified the decree regulating the state of emergency to remove travel to cultural events or facilities from the list of exceptions to the ban on movement during the weekend and holiday curfews.

The original decree, published on Saturday, establishes a ban on travel on public roads on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays between 1 p.m. and 5 a.m. in municipalities with a very high risk of extreme propagation of Covid-19.

However, the decree reserves the possibility of “trips to grocery shops and supermarkets and other establishments selling food and hygiene products, for people and animals”, and it is now clarified that in this sequence there is no access to cultural events and facilities, as it had initially been published.

In addition, travel for health reasons, assistance to the elderly, among others, are considered exceptions.

The novelty in relation to cultural shows, which were already out of the exceptions to movement in curfew periods, is that they are now prevented from serving as a justification for moving between municipalities in times of prohibition.

Unlike what happened last weekend in October and All Saints Day, when circulation between municipalities was also banned, no travel will be allowed to attend cultural shows.

According to the government decree regulating the implementation of the new state of emergency due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which comes into force at 00:00 on Wednesday, people are forbidden to leave their homes between 23:00 on 27 November and 05:00 on 2 December, and between 23:00 on 4 December and 23:59 on 8 December, “except for health reasons or other reasons of extreme urgency.

The decree establishes 10 exceptions to the prohibition of movement between municipalities in mainland Portugal, namely travel to work with a declaration issued by the employer or the worker, in the case of self-employed workers and sole traders.