Lisbon (AFP)

The Portuguese government decided on Wednesday to slow down the deconfinement process in Lisbon and in three other municipalities in the country to fight against the Covid-19 pandemic which is experiencing a resurgence.

In addition to Lisbon, the municipalities of Odemira (south), Braga and Vale de Cambra (north) will continue to apply the measures in force until June 27.

In these municipalities, teleworking will remain particularly compulsory where it is possible while it will be recommended in the rest of the country from June 14, date of the next phase of deconfinement.

On this date, restaurants will still close at 10:30 p.m., compared to one in the morning in other parts of the territory.

"The situation of these municipalities does not allow us to continue deconfinement," said Mariana Vieira da Silva, government spokeswoman after a council of ministers, specifying that the number of cases had increased in Lisbon, especially among "the youngest".

In the rest of the country, the deconfinement process will continue according to the terms unveiled at the beginning of June by the government.

These new measures also provide for the extension of hours for a wide range of activities and the return of the public to sports arenas with a limit set at one third of their capacity, initially intended for amateur sport.

The government has also announced compulsory Covid-19 tests for companies with more than 150 employees and on the occasion of certain public gatherings such as "sporting, cultural or family events", the terms of which will be specified by the health authorities, according to the government spokesperson.

Portuguese health authorities recorded 890 new cases of Covid-19 on Wednesday but no deaths in 24 hours.

This is the highest number of new contaminations over a day in the country of 10 million inhabitants since the start of deconfinement on March 15.

Struck by a violent wave of coronavirus this winter, Portugal experienced strict confinement between mid-January and mid-March, before beginning a gradual deconfinement.

After the June 14th phase, the next stage will continue from the 28th. Bars and nightclubs will however remain closed until the end of August.

© 2021 AFP