In view of the epidemiological situation that occurs in Portugal, the Government decided to renew the state of calamity throughout the national territory until 23:59 on November 15, 2020 and extend to other municipalities the special measures that had been established for the municipalities of Felgueiras, Lousada and Paços de Ferreira, also introducing some additional changes.
Thus, for the municipalities covered by the new measures, the Council of Ministers determined:
- the duty to remain at home, and citizens should refrain from moving in public spaces and roads, as well as in private spaces and roads equated to public roads, except for the set of previously authorized trips, to which are added the trips to activities carried out in day centers, to visit users in residential structures for the elderly, integrated continuing care units of the National Integrated Care Network or other responses dedicated to the elderly, as well as travel to stations and post offices, bank branches and agencies of insurance brokers or insurers and the necessary movements to leave the continental national territory;
- as a rule, that all retail and service establishments, as well as those in commercial sets, close by 22.00;
- the closure of the restaurants until 22:30;
- provision should be made for the territoriality competent mayor to set a closing time below the ceiling set, with the assent of the local health authority and the security forces;
- the prohibition of holding celebrations and other events with more than five persons, unless they belong to the same household;
- the prohibition of fairs and lift markets, unless authorized by the mayor, if safety conditions and compliance with the guidelines defined by the DGS are verified:
- the possibility of holding religious ceremonies, in accordance with the rules of the General Directorate of Health;
- the closure of cultural equipment until 22:30;
- the obligation to take up the teleworking regime, where the functions in question permit, unless the worker is prevented;
- the exceptional and transitional regime for reorganization of work (contained in DL 79-A/2020) applies to companies with workplaces with 50 or more workers in all municipalities covered by the new measures (currently this scheme was applicable to the metropolitan areas of Lisbon and Porto).
These exceptional measures come into force on 4 November and will apply to a total of 121 municipalities. The decision on which municipalities would be covered by the new measures was based on three criteria: (i) 240 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the last 14 days; (ii) proximity to another municipality that meets the first criterion; and iii) no consideration of outbreaks in low density municipalities.
In addition to the exceptional measures described above, the number of people in each group in restaurants for the entire continental territory is limited to 6, unless they belong to the same household.