- Title: Portuguese police enforce new curfew as COVID cases rise
- Date: 3rd July 2021
- Summary: LISBON, PORTUGAL (JULY 2, 2021) (REUTERS) HANDFUL OF PEOPLE WALKING ON EMPTY STREET POLICE ON STREET VARIOUS OF POLICE ON SCOOTERS PATROLLING NEIGHBOURHOOD FEW PEOPLE OUT ON STREET POLICE ON SCOOTERS TALKING TO PEOPLE ON STREET EMPTY STREET RESTAURANT SIGN EMPTY STREET PEOPLE WALKING ALONG STREET, POLICE STANDING OUTSIDE RESTAURANT POLICE STANDING OUTSIDE RESTAURANT NEARLY EMPTY STREET IN CENTRAL LISBON VARIOUS OF POLICE CHECKING PEOPLE'S REASONS TO BE OUTSIDE POLICE PASSING BY ON MOTORBIKES QUIET STREET CLOSED BARS VARIOUS OF EMPTY STREETS
- Embargoed: 17th July 2021 01:29
- Keywords: COVID-19 Lisbon Portugal coronavirus cases rising curfew empty streets police patrols
- Location: LISBON, PORTUGAL
- City: LISBON, PORTUGAL
- Country: Portugal
- Topics: Europe,Health/Medicine
- Reuters ID: LVA001EKADB9J
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Usually extremely busy on a Friday night, the Bairro Alto and Cais do Sodré neighbourhoods in Lisbon were nearly empty on Friday (July 2) as police patrols enforced a night-time curfew.
The Portuguese government have brought in a night time curfew, 11 p.m. to 5 a.m., in Lisbon and several other Portuguese municipalities as authorities scramble to bring under control a surge in COVID-19 infections.
The curfew, starting on Friday, will be in place in 45 high-risk municipalities, including tourist magnet Albufeira in the sunny southern Algarve region.
Cases in Portugal, which faced its toughest battle against the coronavirus in January, jumped by 2,436 on Friday.
New cases are being reported mostly among unvaccinated younger people.
Authorities are speeding up the vaccination campaign to tackle the surge, with those aged 18 to 29 receiving their jabs from next week.
People living in Lisbon's metropolitan area, where most new cases are concentrated, must still present a negative coronavirus test or a vaccination certificate to leave or enter the region at the weekend.
Across the 45 municipalities where the night-time curfew will be implemented, remote work is compulsory whenever possible, restaurants and cafes must close at 10.30 p.m. and weddings may go ahead only under capacity rules.
In 19 of the 45 municipalities, including Lisbon and Albufeira where the risk of contagion is "very high," restaurants, cafes and non-food shops must close at 3:30 p.m. over the weekend.
In total, Portugal, which has fully vaccinated around 31% of its population, has recorded 884,442 cases and 17,108 deaths since the pandemic began.
Authorities have blamed the Delta variant for the rise. It accounts for more than half of cases in the country, which has the European Union's second-highest seven-day rolling average of cases per capita.
(Production: Miguel Pereira, Martin Veal) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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