Portugal is expected to continue with the current level of lockdown until mid March, the Health Minister said today, indicating that the country continues to have an "extremely high incidence" of new cases of infection by the new coronavirus.
"It is quite evident that the current lockdown has to be prolonged for longer and, already during the month of February, and then subject to an evaluation, but probably for a period that experts today estimated as 60 days from its beginning," said Marta Temido, after a virtual meeting with experts at Infarmed in Lisbon. The level Portugal needs to reach is to have "an occupation of intensive care units below 200 beds and an accumulated incidence 14 days below 60 cases per 100,000 inhabitants," she said.
3 weeks to flatten the curve!
This ends only when people realise it is not intended to end.
By Jose from Porto on 09 Feb 2021, 16:38
Raise the IC units, we are almost year in this madness. By the way; who does the counting; your beloved and trustable leaders that recieve there salary anyway?
By Pedro from Lisbon on 09 Feb 2021, 17:26
They are drunk.
By SS from Porto on 09 Feb 2021, 18:47
a country, already bankrupt, can,,,,of course,,,easily extend the lockdown until x-mas ,,,,suuure,,,,,
By Matthias Stoermer from Lisbon on 09 Feb 2021, 22:09
Arrogant b*******. The politicians that make those decisions are not affected by these themselves. Another month stolen from one´s life. My depression level is rising, of course those things are no issue to them, as long as the economy is doing more or less fine. Portugals government has definitely failed us. Vaccine program another of those failures.
By wolf from Alentejo on 09 Feb 2021, 23:31
Government doesn't think about families or children in all of it. Its scandalous. We have to pay almost full fees for nurseries that are closed plus additional costs of replacement care. In 2 weeks my daughter will have no more clothes in right size cause government forgot babies grow fast ! Portugal is the only country in the world in which wine glasses are essential goods, but baby cothes/shoes are not. TVs break and are available to replace but if your bed breaks you have to sleep on the floor until lockdown ends. Absolutely disgusting treatment of people.
By Agata from Other on 10 Feb 2021, 00:26
Home detention is becoming the norm. Shame on the government.
By Ian from Lisbon on 10 Feb 2021, 07:48
The German lawyer Dr Reiner Fuellmich is suing companies involved in the fake PCR tests as well as possibly the WHO and other actors who have caused great financial damage with all the restrictions and measures, which are justified by the cheat tests. He is active in both Germany and the United States. It is a scandal to still use the PCR tests that have never been validated to make diagnoses. The WHO approved the test without any evaluation following a study published in the EU's scientific journal. The study was never reviewed until several months later, a so-called peer review. It was then established that there were lots of factual errors and even discrepancies. The study would never have been published, but has still not been withdrawn. The PCR test gives up to 97 percent false positives and can not determine any ongoing infection.
By Magnus from Other on 10 Feb 2021, 09:24
Yes Pedro! Take the salaries away from politicians during lockdown. It's our taxes and if we can't get access to them why should they.
By Medico from Lisbon on 10 Feb 2021, 09:46
Let's do like Sweden, use common sense, be aware of your surroundings, but don't close down. The long term effects of lockdown out of the mental health and financial aspect are devastating. At least start to open up the beautiful country of Portugal again, slowly. Lockdown won't be the solution.
By Alex from Algarve on 10 Feb 2021, 09:55
Lock-down is only allowed when you have 100,000 of death from Pandemic the death toll in Portugal is around 1%
Lock down is illegal the government are not talking care of its citizens
the cost of the lock down is 10,000,000 eur a day. this would built new hospital every 5 days!!!
The Government is Mafia= put them all in jail!!!!!!
By Joao from Lisbon on 10 Feb 2021, 12:50
Fe’ ! Fe’ ! onde estas tu?
By Guilherme from Other on 10 Feb 2021, 15:27
Alex is 100% correct, here in Sweden we have no lockdowns, no curfews, no travel restrictions, no businesses are closed, and most important no mandatory mask wearing and no police who harass teenagers like PCP police in Lisbon did during Christmas, I saw two Police men using violence against a teenager in a metro train and forced a mask on his face, is this the proper behaviour of adult men working as police in Portugal? I have never before seen anything likte this by western European police, the metro train was also almost empty only a few travellers.
By Magnus from Other on 10 Feb 2021, 15:59
All the government in Portugal and the rest of the world are worried about is the collapse of the health service, which obviously makes sense, no one wants to see a brother or sister friend or relative suffering in the streets.
So taking all sensible precautions whilst mixing with unknown people makes sense too.
What makes no sense is destroying everyone’s lively hood and life whilst doing it.
The answer to the problem cannot be to lock everybody up, surely simple measures that everyone can follow is the answer, wear a mask in public, keep the 2m gap from anyone you don’t know, wash your hands regularly throughout the day, if you are going to cough or sneeze turn away from other people and cover your mouth with your hand even if you are wearing a mask it’s good practice, if you are unwell stay at home, if you want to be exempt from these simple measures, stay at home.
I am at serious risk due to having throat cancer treatment less than 2 years ago, so please don’t cough or sneeze over other people, I have experienced it whilst at work and the people doing it don’t even say “Sorry”, so follow the rules or stay at home for everyone’s sake
Regards David Beese
By David Beese from Other on 10 Feb 2021, 17:51
If 100% of all people wore masks, washed their hands, and practiced social distancing, Covid would have ended last March. Portugal leads the world in cases and deaths per one million in the last month because many people did not observe the rules. Sadly, many are ignorant of how viruses are transmitted and how not obeying the rules damages the economy and kills the elderly at a higher than acceptable rate. Or perhaps some know the harm they can do by not being safe but are just selfish.
By William from Lisbon on 10 Feb 2021, 22:58
Who are all those halfwits commenting here. There is a pandemic on. Real people are dying. Save us your ignorance.
By Gunnar W Gustafsson from Algarve on 10 Feb 2021, 23:42
This is madness!! Stop the lockdown now!!! Its not the right way to go, you cant lock people in, its so easy for the politics to make that decision cause they dont get effected, they still get there high salary. Lockdown effects peoples economy cause not everyone can work from home and they have bills to pay. And it effects peoples mental health. Please open up the country so we can start living again!
By Maria from Algarve on 11 Feb 2021, 07:50
Folks get used to the reality that lockdown will not end fully until the autumn at least.Even then with winter approaching and probably only 70% of the population vaccinated,expect extended restrictions.
Then we have the variants to deal with,which may or may not make current vaccines obsolete.
This is the new normal,the quicker we learn to adapt the better.
Portugal has to rethink it's over reliance on tourism.
"Be like water." Bruce Lee
By James from Algarve on 11 Feb 2021, 12:02
Every European country has deal with this situation extremely badly and without common sense... Germany locking down it's citizens for now 4 months and still with huge numbers of infection, Sweden attempting to reach herd immunity in an open European Union makes no sense as well. Portugal tried to keep freedom for as long as it could and this second wave is 100% due to the new strains this you can see in the stats from December 18th (December has two peaks). Portuguese people need to rethink there priorities as a country to focus on who they are and where they want to be and try to keep its educated young people, it's Doctors, it's scientists and not focus on its "UK special relationship", football, Tourism, and custard tarts...as this now has left Portugal ill equipped.
By Simon from Lisbon on 11 Feb 2021, 12:47
Oh dear! Gunnar calling people ignorant halfwits because “we are in the middle of a pandemic”. A pandemic so deadly it has allegedly killed just under 15,000 people over a period of about 14 months (slightly more than 1,000 per month). Yet he is blissfully ignorant of the fact that in any given year before the Covid hysteria came along approximately 4,000 people in Portugal would die EVERY MONTH of pneumonia (48,000 per year)! Of the 15,000 “Covid” deaths, how many do you think would have succumbed to pneumonia? I’m also willing to bet that dear Gunnar isn’t worried about how he’s going to pay his next rent / electricity/ food bill. But what do I know, I’m just an ignorant halfwit...
By SS from Algarve on 11 Feb 2021, 15:44
Gunnars comment that me and other commentators are half-witted reminds me of this quote from TV series I Claudius...
As for being half-witted, well, what can I say - except that I have survived to middle age with *half* my wits, while thousands have died with *all* of theirs intact. Evidently, *quality* of wits is more important than *quantity*
By Magnus from Other on 11 Feb 2021, 21:27