Portugal Drops Face Mask Requirement
The decision was announced yesterday, April 21, by the Minister of Health of Portugal, Marta Temido, AtoZSerwisPlus.pt reports.
Temido said that travellers, as well as citizens of the country, will no longer be required to wear a face mask when accessing the majority of public places and events, such as restaurants, cafes, shopping centres, and museums, among others.
Nonetheless, it has been emphasised that the requirement to wear a mask will continue to remain valid for all those who wish to access healthcare institutions and other facilities that are mainly frequented by vulnerable persons.
In addition, mask-wearing will also remain mandatory for everyone using all forms of public transport as well as for those travelling by plane.
The decision to lift such a requirement has been taken after taking into account the infection and vaccination rates.
The World Health Organization (WHO) shows that Portugal has reported 61,342 new COVID-19 infection cases in the last seven days.
As for the vaccination rates, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control reveals that Portugal has administered a total of 23,750,020 vaccine doses until April 21. It further reveals that 94.4 per cent of the entire Portuguese adult population has completed primary vaccination until now, and another 74.1 per cent has received an additional vaccine dose.
Even though Portugal has lifted the majority of domestic COVID-19 restrictions, the country still requires incoming travellers to meet entry rules.
Portugal currently permits entry only to travellers from specific countries provided that they hold a valid COVID Certificate – a vaccination recovery or test certificate.
Portugal applies the same validity period as the other EU countries. This means that a vaccination certificate is considered valid when entering Portugal only if it proves that the holder completed primary vaccination in the last nine months or received an additional vaccine dose.
On the other hand, a recovery certificate is recognised upon entry to Portugal only if it indicates that the holder recovered from the virus in the last six months.
As for the COVID-19 test, the Portuguese authorities explain that the country accepts both PCR and rapid antigen tests. The PCR test must be taken within 72 hours before arrival in Portugal, and the rapid antigen test must be taken within 24 hours before arrival.
Similar to Portugal, Spain has also lifted the face mask requirement. Mask-wearing in Spain now remains mandatory only when entering specific facilities.
