In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was approved by the Ministers Council a resolution declaring the situation of calamity throughout the national territory beginning at 00:00 a.m. on 15th October and ending at 11:59 p.m. on October 31st, 2020. Some of the main measures resulting from said resolution are the following:
- Gatherings limited to 5 people on the public roads and other spaces of a commercial and catering nature, unless they are cohabiting.
- Limitation of the number of people at family events (maximum 50 people);
- Recommendation to use a community mask on the public road, whenever it is not possible to maintain the necessary social distance, as well as the use of the “Stayaway Covid” application and the communication of a positive test through the same;
- Determine that the security forces and services and ASAE monitor the compliance with the rules established;
- Prohibit initiatives and activities of a non-academic nature in the academic space, such as parties, receptions for new students and practices (praxes);
- In the Metropolitan Areas of Lisbon and Oporto, the exceptional and transitional regime for reorganizing work applies to companies with workplaces with 50 or more employees;
- Some rules on the opening hours of service areas and fuel stations are clarified.
A law proposal was also approved to be submitted to the Republic Assembly, which establishes the mandatory use of a community mask on public roads, whenever it is not possible to maintain the necessary social distance, as well as the use of the “Stayaway Covid” application, in the labor context, academic context, military, security and public administration in general.
The decree-law that alters the exceptional and temporary measures related to the Covid-19 pandemic was also approved, namely:
- Extension until March 31st, 2021 of of the acceptance of expired documents (citizen’s card, certificates and certificates issued by the registration and civil identification services, driving license, documents and visas related to the stay in national territory, as well as licenses and authorizations);
- Simplification of the Disability Verification System;
- Exemption from prior licensing by the IMT for vehicles for transporting patients, being allowed to travel only with the vehicle inspection certificate;
- Modification of the penalty regime applicable within the scope of the calamity, contingency and alert situation, clarifying the duties and increasing some fines.
Please note that the information contained in this document is of a generic nature and does not exempt the analysis of the applicable legislation in force at each moment. The measures indicated above need to be promulgated by the President of the Republic, therefore the final version of the legal diploma may be different from the one presented herein.
TFRA shall update the information in this document as soon as the legal diploma is published.