Portugal imposes restrictions after Christmas due to omicron | World
Portugal determined on Tuesday (21) the closure of nightclubs and bars and recommended people to work from home for at least two weeks from Saturday to control for the spread of Covid-19 during the holiday period.
“This is still not the normal Christmas we are used to,” Prime Minister António 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.”
The coast also changed capacity in stores and said a negative coronavirus test would now be needed to stay in hotels or attend events.
Officials will also limit outdoor gatherings to 10 people per group on New Year’s Eve, when a negative test will be required to enter restaurants, casinos or attend parties in public spaces, Costa said.
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Most of the measures announced by Costa were due to take effect in early January, but the current status of the pandemic has forced the government to anticipate them, he added.
Portugal, which has one of the highest vaccination rates against Covid-19 in the world, with around 87% of its 10 million inhabitants fully inoculated, is facing a surge of change along with the rest of Europe, in part due to rapid spread of the omicron variant.
Almost 50% of new cases of coronaviruses in Portugal are of the omicron variant, reported the National Institute of Health.
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