Lisbon’s partial reconfinement to control outbreaks of the new coronavirus was extended until at least the end of July, the Portuguese government announced on Tuesday evening.
While the government reported a downward trend in most parts of the country, “we are seeing a persistent incidence in some areas of the Regional Health Administration of Lisbon and the Tagus Valley,” they explained.
The restrictions imposed since the beginning of July concern the whole Lisbon metropolitan area and in particular around 20 neighbourhoods in the city’s northern suburbs. Around 700,000 inhabitants have been asked to stay at home, except to go to work or to do essential shopping.
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In addition, gatherings in these neighbourhoods are limited to five people, compared with ten in the Lisbon area as a whole and 20 in the rest of Portugal. To avoid crowds, the consumption of alcohol is still forbidden in public spaces, and shops and cafés must close at 8pm.
Over the last two weeks, Portugal has continued to detect an average of just over 350 new cases per day of coronavirus contamination, mostly in the Lisbon region. The country has counted 47,000 confirmed cases since the start of the pandemic, and nearly 1,700 Portuguese have died because of the virus.
The Brussels Times
