The country can "take the step of advancing the measures of deconfinement, scheduled for Monday, April 5", but there are 19 municipalities, including the Algarve Portimão, Lagoa Vila do Bispo and Albufeira, which have to improve their numbers, if they want to continue to shift to the rhythm of the rest of the country, Prime Minister António Costa has just announced at a press conference.
In a communication to the country, following the meeting of the Council of Ministers in which it was discussed whether there were conditions to advance to the second phase of the planned confinement in the plan presented on March 11, António Costa stressed that, at this moment, Portugal is «clearly in the green quadrant of our matrix», so the plan will proceed as planned.
Even so, said the prime minister, "this assessment must take into account the different situation in the country." "If, in two successive assessments, the same councils are above the risk threshold, in those councils the containment measures should not proceed".
The risk threshold mentioned by the leader of the Government is 120 cases per 100 thousand inhabitants for 14 days, a level above which there are currently «19 municipalities». On the other hand, there are six above 240 cases per 100 inhabitants.
With more than 240 cases, there is a municipality in the Algarve, Portimão, but also two in the District of Beja, Odemira and Moura. Between 120 and 239,9, are the Algarve municipalities of Albufeira, Lagoa and Vila do Bispo and the municipality of Beja.
In the 19 municipalities identified by António Costa, «special precautions are needed to ensure that existing cases are stopped, so that they can advance to the next stage».
The prime minister took the opportunity to ask the Portuguese "an effort to prevent this Easter from being unhappy."
This is because, despite the incidence of the disease, one of the aspects of the matrix, has decreased in the country and is "walking" safely to the center of the green zone, the R(t), which accounts for the transmissibility, has been increasing and evolving towards the yellow zone – although it is still in the green.
Alerts launched and the future rules of the game dictated, António Costa recalled which activities will be resumed in this second phase of deconfinement.
The return to schools of 2nd and 3rd cycle students is one of the measures that was confirmed. Social facilities in the area of disability and day centers will also reopen, as well as “stores up to 200m2”.
"From Monday, fairs and markets, as long as they are authorized by the Chamber, will also be able to go back into operation for non-food items," said António Costa.
As for terraces, they can have “a maximum of four people per group”.
It is also once again possible to practice “low-risk modalities, up to four people”, and they can open “gyms without group classes. They also reopen museums, monuments, palaces, art galleries and the like».
António Costa took the opportunity to leave “a word of deep gratitude to the Portuguese for the way they have managed to control this pandemic”.
“We have gone from days when we were the worst in the world, where we are. In the European economic space, only Iceland has better results. It gives us pride, which must be converted into a motivating force so that we do not stop to mark a step, or regress, so that we can continue with this disconfinement at a drop rate», concluded the prime minister.
In update
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