Portugal in new phase of pandemic; some restrictions may go
The minister of health, Marta Temido, revealed that it is possible to consider that the country is already in a new phase of the pandemic.
Portugal’s minister of health, Marta Temido, on Wednesday said that the country is in a new phase of the Covid-19 pandemic, indicating that it may be possible to move forward with the removal of mitigation measures, a new approach to testing for coronavirus cases, and a review of when mask-wearing is mandatory.
“As quickly as possible and as slowly as necessary,” Temido said of the possible easing of restrictions, in speaking to journalists after a briefing at the Lisbon headquarters of Infarmed, the national medicines agency, attended by experts and policymakers to assess the latest developments in the epidemiological situation.
Summing up the conclusions of the meeting, the minister said that it is possible to consider that the country is already in a new phase of the pandemic. While acknowledging that there are still many uncertainties, she opened the door to a review of the measures currently in place.
In particular, Temido referred a new testing policy, a reassessment of the situations in which masks are mandatory and a change of the situations in which the presentation of a digital Covid certificate (of vaccination or recovery) is required.
