Portugal imposes restrictions after Christmas due to Omicron

Portugal On Tuesday (21) it decided to close clubs and bars and recommended that people work from home for at least two weeks from Saturday to control the spread of Covid-19 during the holiday period.

“This is not the usual Christmas we are used to,” Prime Minister Antonio Costa told a news conference. “If we don’t take these steps now, the consequences for everyone’s lives will be much worse after Christmas and New Year’s.”

Costa also announced capacity restrictions in stores and said a negative coronavirus test will now be required to stay in hotels or attend events.

Costa said officials will also limit outdoor gatherings to ten people per group on New Year’s Eve, when a negative test is required to enter restaurants or casinos or attend parties in public.

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He added that most of the measures announced by Costa were due to take effect in early January, but the current situation with the pandemic forced the government to anticipate them.

Portugal, which has one of the highest vaccination rates against Covid-19 in the world, with about 87% of its population of 10 million vaccinated, is facing an outbreak along with the rest of Europe, due in part to the rapid spread of the omicron variant.

The National Institute of Health reports that nearly 50% of new coronavirus cases in Portugal are of the Omicron type.

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