Covid-19: No travel between municipalities from 8 p.m.

  • Lusa
  • 5 March 2021

The ban on movement between municipalities applies to all municipalities on the continent, regardless of the level of transmission risk.

Travel between municipalities in mainland Portugal is again prohibited between 8 p.m. on Friday and 5 a.m. on Monday, with the same exceptions provided, under the state of emergency to combat the Covid-19 pandemic.

Although Portugal now has only three municipalities at extreme risk of infection (with more than 960 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the last 14 days) and 14 at high risk, the ban on movement between municipalities applies to all mainland municipalities, regardless of the level of risk of transmission of the new SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.

The weekend ban on travel between the mainland’s 278 municipalities has been in place each weekend since the New Year period but saw an extension of the hours of applicability from 15 January, with the new general lockdown.

Portugal’s prime minister, António Costa, ​​​​​​​is scheduled to present a plan to ease lockdown on 11 March.

“The commitment I want to make here is that on 11 March we will present the plan to ease lockdown,” Costa said, explaining that it will be gradual, progressive, and differentiated by sectors.

According to the government decree that regulates the state of emergency decreed by the president, there is a set of exceptions to the ban on movement between municipalities, including travel to work (as attested by a statement issued by the employer or equivalent), for health reasons and to comply with parental responsibilities.

Besides this restriction, compulsory lockdown remains in force, where the main rule is to stay at home, the prohibition to sell or deliver food and drink in any non-food establishment, the prohibition to sell or deliver food or drink at the doors in establishments authorised to take-away and the prohibition to stay in public leisure areas (which may, however, be visited).

The current state of emergency is in force until 11.59 p.m. on 16 March.

According to the latest data from the country’s national health authority DGS, which reports to 1 March, Portugal has only three municipalities at extreme risk of infection – Manteigas, Arronches and Resende – and 14 at high risk.

The data reports a 14-day cumulative incidence period between 10 and 22 February.

At high risk are the municipalities of Aljustrel, Arraiolos, Lamego, Rio Maior, Barrancos, Câmara de Lobos, Castanheira de Pera, Sobral de Monte Agraço, Castro Verde, Coimbra, Ferreira do Alentejo, Penela, Ponta do Sol and Vila Nova de Cerveira.

In the note explaining the data by municipalities, it is noted that the cumulative incidence corresponds to the quotient between the number of new cases confirmed in the 14 days before the moment of analysis and the estimated resident population.