The containment measures for the new state of emergency, which will apply until 8 December, were announced on 21 November by Prime Minister António Costa.

The executive divided the continent's 278 municipalities into four groups, depending on the levels of risk of transmission of the new coronavirus: "extremely high", "very high", "high" and "moderate".

In the 127 municipalities classified as "extremely high" and "very high" risk, the curfew will continue to be in force between 11pm and 5am on working days, as well as between 1pm and 5am on the weekend of 28 and 29 November, on the weekend of 5 and 6 December, and on the holidays of 1 and 8 December.

On the eve of the holidays, commercial establishments will be closed from 3pm in these 127 municipalities.

In the 86 municipalities considered to be "high risk", the curfew between 11pm and 5am will be in force on the seven days of the week.

In the whole continental territory it will be forbidden to move between municipalities between 11pm on 27 November and 5am on 2 December, and between 11pm on 4 December and 11:59pm on 8 December.

From 24 November masks are compulsory in the workplace.

The rules and exceptions.
Measures defined for mainland Portugal, with specific measures prevailing over these general rules in the municipalities most at risk of infection with the new coronavirus:

  • Patients with Covid-19, those infected with SARS-CoV-2 and citizens for whom the health authority or other health professionals have determined active surveillance are placed in mandatory confinement, in a health establishment, at their home or elsewhere defined by the health authorities.
  • The use of masks or visors is compulsory in the workplace where physical separation is not possible (not applicable where work is carried out in offices or rooms with no other occupants or where waterproof physical barriers are used).
  • The sale of alcoholic beverages is prohibited in service areas or at petrol stations and, from 8pm, in retail outlets, including supermarkets and hypermarkets.
  • The consumption of alcoholic beverages is forbidden in open air spaces and on public roads, except on terraces. After 8pm, the consumption of alcoholic beverages on terraces can only be part of the meal service.
  • Private vehicles with a capacity of more than five seats can only circulate with two thirds of their capacity, except if all occupants are in the same household. Occupants must wear masks or visors.
  • Commercial establishments may not open before 10am, with the exception of hairdressers, barbers, beauty institutes, restaurants and the like, cafeterias, tea houses and the like, driving schools and vehicle technical inspection centres, as well as gyms and fitness centres.
  • Most shops close between 8pm and 11pm, with the local health authority and security forces being able to set the closing time within this interval, as well as the opening hours.
  • Restaurants must close at 1am (with new admissions until midnight) and their capacity is limited to 50 percent. Groups are limited to six people (unless they belong to the same household), except in establishments located up to 300 metres from a school and in food-courts in shopping centres, where they are limited to four people (if they are not from the same household).
  • Public services maintain a face-to-face service by appointment.
  • In the concert halls and cinemas the seats occupied must have a gap between the spectators who are not cohabitants, and in the next row the seats must not be occupied. In the case of a stage, a minimum distance of at least two metres between the stage and the front row of spectators must be guaranteed.
  • In open-air shows, the seats must be identified in advance, with a physical distance between spectators of 1.5 metres and, if there is a stage, a minimum distance of at least two metres must be guaranteed between the stage and the front row of spectators.
  • Academic celebrations in higher education are forbidden.
  • Body temperature measurements may be taken by non-invasive means, in the control of access to the workplace, to public services or institutions, educational establishments and commercial, cultural or sporting spaces, means of transport, in residential structures, health establishments, prisons or educational centres.
  • Access to these places may be prevented if the person refuses to take a body temperature measurement or presents a result higher than 38° C. In cases where it is established that a worker cannot gain access to his place of work, the absence of access is considered justified.
  • Access to health establishments, residential structures, educational establishments, professional establishments, prisons, and entry and exit from national territory - by air or sea - and other places may be subject to diagnostic tests for Covid-19, by determination of the Directorate-General for Health.
  • Possibility of requesting resources, means and health establishments from the private and social sectors, after an attempt to reach an agreement and with "just compensation".
  • Mobilisation of human resources to strengthen screening capacity (such as epidemiological surveys, contact tracing, follow-up of people under active surveillance), namely workers from the Public Administration and local authorities, the social or cooperative sector, who are in prophylactic isolation, civil protection agents or teachers with no teaching component.
  • During the period in which the mobilisation of workers is maintained "the exercise of functions at a place and time other than the usual may be imposed".
  • Participation of the Armed Forces in the carrying out of epidemiological enquiries and tracing of contacts of patients with Covid-19, this participation being coordinated by the respective command.
  • It is the responsibility of the security forces and services to monitor compliance with the measures, by "raising the community's awareness of the ban on travel which is not justified".
  • The security forces must make reports "for a crime of disobedience" for violation of the rules laid down, and lead citizens "to their homes when necessary" in cases of non-compliance with curfews.
  • Limitation of movement between municipalities between 11pm on 27 November and 5am on 2 December, and between 11pm on 4 December and 11:59pm on 8 December, "except for health reasons or other reasons of extreme urgency".
  • There are 10 exceptions to this ban, such as travel for professional functions, travel by holders of sovereign bodies, leaders of social partners and political parties represented in the Assembly of the Republic and "persons bearing a legally issued laissez-passer", travel by ministers of religion, of staff of diplomatic missions, journeys to schools and day centres, "journeys necessary to leave continental national territory", journeys by "non-resident citizens to places of proven stay", journeys "for other imperative family reasons, such as sharing parental responsibilities", and the return home.
  • The Civil Service is granted point tolerance on 30 November and 7 December.
  • Teaching and non-teaching activities are suspended in all public, private and cooperative educational establishments of all grades on 30 November and 7 December.

High risk councils
Specific measures for those municipalities most at risk of infection with the new coronavirus:

• Ban on movement on public roads between 11pm and 5am. Exceptions to this are travel for work, travel for health reasons, for assistance to the elderly, among others.
• General duty of home collection outside the period between 11pm and 5am.
• Commercial establishments must close by 10pm. Restaurants, cultural facilities and sports facilities must close by 10:30pm (catering establishments may operate until 1am, but only for home deliveries).
• Fairs and markets must be authorised by the mayors.

Very high and extreme risk councils

  • Public road ban between 11pm and 5am on working days. Exceptions to this are travel for work, travel for health reasons, for assistance to the elderly, among others.
  • Public road transport is forbidden on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays between 1pm and 5am.

Exceptions to this are travelling for health reasons, assistance to the elderly, among others.

Travel to "grocery stores and supermarkets and other establishments selling food and hygiene products for people and animals" are also permitted.

  • On working days, shops have to close by 10pm. Restaurants, cultural facilities and sports facilities must close by 10:30pm (catering establishments may operate until 1am, but only for home deliveries).
  • On weekends and holidays, shops can only operate between 8am and 1pm. On 30 November and 7 December, establishments can operate between 8am and 3pm.

Exceptions are food retail establishments, as well as natural or dietetic, health and hygiene establishments, with a sales or service area of 200 square metres or less with an independent entrance from the public road.

Restaurants may remain in operation after the fixed closing time, "provided that they are for the sole purpose of making the goods available at the door of the establishment or at the take-away, in which case the public is not allowed access to the inside of the establishment.

Petrol stations may also operate "for the sole purpose of selling fuel to the public".

Establishments whose normal opening hours are before 8am may continue to operate during those hours, while establishments authorised to operate 24 hours a day may reopen from 8am.

• The holding of fairs and markets must be authorised by the mayors.