Government to ease curfew at Christmas, won’t do same for New Year’s
The government has abandoned plans for a later curfew on New Year's Eve, instead obliging people to be off the streets from 11 pm on December 31 to 5 am on January 1.
Portugal’s government has abandoned plans for a later curfew on New Year’s Eve, instead obliging people to be off the streets from 11 pm on December 31 to 5 am on January 1 in all municipalities in mainland Portugal.
It is going ahead with its plan to ease the curfew to 2 am on December 24 and 25, to allow people to mix more at Christmas.
The prime minister, António Costa, made the announcement late on Thursday following a cabinet meeting held after parliament had approved the renewal of the current state of emergency for a further 15 days from December 24.
“Contrary to what we announced 15 days ago … we have to totally cut the New Year celebrations,” Costa said at the briefing, which took place entirely online.
A curfew of 1 pm is also to be imposed on January 1, 2 and 3.
Costa is isolating after his meeting on Wednesday with French president Emmanuel Macron, who was later diagnosed with Covid-19.
