“As I said last week, this week no rules have changed as the pandemic is controlled by the efficiency of the matrix, by compliance with the matrix rules. Today we have 116 municipalities at high and very high risk", declared the Minister of State and Presidency, Mariana Vieira da Silva, at a press conference, after the meeting of the Council of Ministers, in Lisbon.

According to the updated risk map, there are currently 55 municipalities at very high risk and 61 at high risk. With no impact on the ease of lockdown measures, there are 29 municipalities on alert, as they recorded, for the first time, an incidence rate above 120 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the last 14 days (or above 240 if they are municipalities with low population density) .

The high risk level is applied to municipalities that register, for the second consecutive evaluation, an incidence rate of covid-19 higher than 120 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the last 14 days (or higher than 240 if they are municipalities with low population density), while the very high risk applies to territories that count, for the second time, more than 240 cases per 100,000 inhabitants (or more than 480 if they are of low population density).

Among the measures applied to high and very high risk councils are mandatory telework when functions allow, cultural shows until 10:30pm and restaurants, cafes and bakeries can work until 10:30pm and inside there can be a maximum of four people per group and on terraces with a maximum of six people per group), with the distinction that on Fridays from 7pm and on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays during all hours of operation, access to restaurants for Indoor dining service is only allowed for holders of a digital vaccination certificate or a negative covid-19 test.

For the councils at higher risk, there is also a restriction on circulation on public roads, daily, between 11pm and 5am.

In very high risk councils, other more restrictive measures are in force, such as weddings and baptisms with 25 percent of the capacity, gyms without group classes, food retailers are open until 9pm during the week and until 7pm on the weekend and holidays and and non-food retail until 9pm during the week and until 3:30 pm on weekends and holidays.

With less restrictive measures, in high-risk municipalities, weddings and baptisms are allowed with 50 percent of the capacity, practice of all sports, without public, and physical activity outdoors and in gyms, food and non-food retail trade until 9pm, events abroad with reduced capacity, to be defined by the General Directorate of Health (DGS), and Citizen Shops with face-to-face service by appointment.

Across the mainland, the requirement of a digital certificate or negative test for access to tourist establishments and local accommodation is maintained. In the current phase of the ease of lockdown plan, which came into force on the 10 June and which now applies to 162 of the 278 municipalities in mainland Portugal, telework is recommended in activities that allow for it; the commerce can operate according to the respective licensing schedule; the restaurants, cafes and bakeries can be open until midnight for admission of customers and 1am for closing with a (maximum of six people inside or 10 people on terraces); and cultural facilities can operate until 1am (access is excluded, for entrance purposes, from midnight , with the concert halls limited to a capacity of 50 percent).

Other rules that apply at this stage of the ease of lockdown are that public transport can circulate with a capacity of two-thirds or with a full capacity if they have only seating positions (taxis and transport vehicles in vehicles without characteristics from electronic platforms - TVDE - with capacity limited to the rear seats), the capacity for weddings and christenings continues to be limited to 50 percent of the space, and sports can now have a public in the case of amateur sports, with marked seats and restricted capacity to 33 percent from space.

Information on the Government's lockdown easing plan in the context of the covid-19 pandemic is available at: https://covid19estamoson.gov.pt/.