The Portuguese government has announced its plan to re-open society from Covid restrictions as vaccination rates in the country are among the highest in Europe. Some of the current restrictions on opening hours for shops and restaurants are ending on Sunday and other steps will be taken when vaccinations are continued to be rolled-out. Most restrictions expected to be gone by October.
The re-opening of society and ease of restrictions will be made in three phases with phase 1 starting now, the prime minister Antonio Costa announced at a press conference on Thursday. The first phase will re-instate normal open hour for shops, gallerias and restaurants, with restaurant being allowed to stay open until 2 am. It will also mean the end of temporary restrictions on movement during the night, which has been in place for a couple of weeks.
The three phases of re-opening of society to “normality” will follow the vaccinate rate among the population in Portugal. 57% of the population is expected to be fully vaccinated by 1st of August, 70% by the beginning of September and 85% by October, according to the government´s projections.
Phase 2 in September will mean the requirement to wear facemasks in public will end and event operations can operate at 75% capacity. Bars and discoteques will remain closed.
In the third phase, expected in October when (and if) 85% fully vaccinated, limits on public gatherings will end and bars and discoteques can re-open..
Portugal experienced a rise of Covid cases over a couple of weeks this summer, but the spread seems currently to be slowing down, thanks to the high vaccination rate. As health experts are monitoring the situation, the government announced its plan for reopening the society and ease many of the Covid restrictions step-by-step in three phases.
Proof of vaccination (or a recent Covid test) is currently required for indoor dining in Lisbon (not outside on terraces) during weekends, and there is an ongoing discussion if the “EU Health passes” should be required in other situations to speed up the opening of society.
For now, when it comes to travel, Portugal is open for travel from the EU, the Schengen-associated countries (like, Switzerland and Norway), the UK, USA and Canada (and some other countries) you will be asked to show your Vaccination/health pass (or recent test) on arrival and also when you check in at your hotel or vacation accommodation.
We will update you with more information when available and make more frequent updates closer to the event dates. If you want more details, please go to the Portuguese authourities websites, details can be found on Visit Portugal.
