Lisbon, Albufeira lock in for another weekend

Delta variant of the Covid virus is making its presence felt

Yesterday, authorities and news outlets reported that as of today, 3 pm (local time) the Portuguese capital of Lisbon will require people who want to enter or leave its territory to present a negative coronavirus test or a vaccination certificate. The move is a repetition of last weekend’s events when due to a surge in Covid cases caused by the ever more present Delta variant of the virus the authorities decided to implement such restrictions.

This time around the same measures will also apply to the southern resort of Albufeira, located in Algarve, which is a magnet for tourists. The restrictions are set to expire at 6 am on Monday, 28 June.

Summer tourism might be already showing the risks associated with freer movement

Restaurants, cafes and non-essential shops in these municipalities will also have to close doors by 3:30 pm. Supermarkets and grocery stores will have to do it at 7 pm.

"We are in a fight against time between the progression of the disease and the process of vaccination," Cabinet Minister Mariana Vieira da Silva stated at a press conference on Thursday. She meant to ongoing surge of COVID cases, which rose by 1,556 on that day and represented the biggest jump since late February.

The overall situation is still far from the winter conditions, however, this time around the government is set on taking early precautions and acting fast, even in the midst of a tourist season. Since the beginning of the pandemic, Portugal has recorded nearly 870 thousand coronavirus cases and a little over 17 thousand deaths.

Reportedly, this rise in new cases coincided with the opening of the tourist season in the country and this flow of people might be linked to the surge. The measures will be reviewed on a weekly basis but are likely to remain in place until the situation improves.