LISBON (Reuters) – The Portuguese capital and its stage will continue to be subject to stricter restrictions against the coronavirus than the rest of the country until at least the end of August, the government said on Thursday.
Portugal reported 53223 infections and 1,764 coronavirus deaths, fewer than many other European countries, adding neighboring Spain, where more than 28,500 died.
But while the sunny southern European country was praised in the first place for its immediate reaction to the pandemic, a stable count of several hundred new cases a day in and around Lisbon in June and July, following the end of a national blockade, led the government to impose curbs.
Although the number of infections in Lisbon has dropped again, the government must slow down, especially when some of Europe’s most sensitive football groups are in town for a special mini-tournament of the “eight finalists” of the UEFA Champions League.
The Great Lisbon will remain in the so-called contingency state, which means that the maximum advertising spaces, with the exception of restaurants, must close at 20.00 hours. There is also a limit of 10 more people for rallies, compared to 20 in the rest of the country.
However, the president of the government, Antonio Costa, encouraged fans and tourists to make a stopover in the country the Champions League tournament, which kicked off on Wednesday, although fans were excluded from the stadiums.
The epidemic is expected to leave lasting scars on Portugal’s tourism-dependent economy, and the central bank expects 9.5% to contract this year.
The greatest fortune came here when Portugal was excluded from a list of countries that Britain, its main source of tourism, considers safe enough without coronavirus restrictions.
Reportage through Catarina Demony, edited through Andrei Khalip; edited through Nick Macfie
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