Portugal announces the end of mandatory masks and Covid passports

Mandatory masks and Covid passports to be scrapped in Portugal

The authorities in Portugal announced this Thursday, April 21, the end of mandatory face masks, after it was approved in a Cabinet meeting. There will however still be some exceptions. This measure will not come into force until it has been approved by President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, but it is believed that by this weekend, that will be done.

Portugal’s state of alert had been due to expire this Friday 22, but has been extended until May 5. Marta Temido, the Minister of Health, confirmed that the current epidemiological situation regarding Covid-19 is showing positive progress, which allows for the elimination of masks.

Ms Temido said that as well as citizens of the country, travellers will no longer be required to wear a face mask when accessing the majority of public places and events, such as restaurants, cafes, shopping centres, and museums, among others.

There will still be the requirement to wear a mask in any place frequented by vulnerable people. This includes hospitals and nursing homes. Masks must also be worn on all forms of public transport, and in locations that have limited space yet a high concentration of people. Pupils will no longer need to wear masks in schools.

Covid certificates – or Covid passports – will not be required in any of the previous circumstances in which they were asked for. Rules regarding Covid testing will also be done away with, and will only be carried out if deemed necessary by the Directorate-General of Health of Portugal. 

“The pandemic is not over”, assured Marta Temido to CNN Portugal. “If a new variant appears, there are unpredictabilities that we cannot master. In a new change of season, we will need to adapt our behaviours”, as reported by portugal.com.

For more information on the Covid-19 situation in Portugal, visit the government website: https://eportugal.gov.pt/en/noticias/dgs-lanca-portal-com-informacoes-sobre-coronavirus

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