Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Cost has just unveiled the measures that will be in place during the holiday season to fight the coronavirus epidemic, and these are proving to be less stringent than in other European countries. These measures are framed by the state of emergency, which will be in effect between midnight on 9th and 11.59 p.m. on December 23rd, and which will surely be extended until at least January 7st. Lisbob, the expatriate assistant, tells you all about the measures in place for Christmas and New Year’s Eve in Portugal.

Measures in place for Christmas:

It will be allowed to travel between the municipalities on December 23, 24, 25 and 26;
On December 24 and 25, traffic on public roads will be authorized until 2 a.m. the next day;
On the nights of the 23rd and 24th, traffic will only be authorized for people in transit;
Unlike other countries, the number of people at Christmas dinner should not be limited.

Measures in place for New Year’s eve:

Traffic between municipalities is prohibited between midnight on December 31 and 5 a.m. on January 4, 2021.
On the night of December 31, there will be no parties or public gatherings, but it is permitted to circulate on public roads until 2:00 a.m.
On January 1, traffic is only allowed until 11:00 p.m.
Restaurants will be open:
- Until 1 a.m. on Christmas and New Year's Eve For lunches on December 24 and 25;
- On nights of 24, 25 and 31, restaurants will be able to operate until 1:00 am;
- On December 26 and January 1, they will be able to operate until 3:30 p.m. in very high and extreme risk municipalities.

Also during the next two weekends, traffic between municipalities will still be prohibited from 1:00 p.m. on Saturdays. The Portuguese Prime Minister justifies the measures taken by the government by the drop in the number of new cases. António Costa therefore renews the restriction on traveling during the next 2 weekends to "reach Christmas with as few infected people as possible".

However, as the situation will be reassessed by authorities on December 18, and the Portuguese Prime Minister has indicated that if this assessment is negative, the measures for Christmas could be further aggravated. "Anticipating that the risk is lower means increasing the risk."