Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa today urged his countrymen to remain vigilant in view of the fourth wave of his pandemic coronavirus, in which the most contagious Delta mutation is responsible for almost 90% of cases.
The infections erupted after Portugal opened its borders to visitors from Britain and the EU in mid-May and have now reached February levels, when a lockdown was imposed in the country. Now, most businesses have reopened and, in the middle of the tourist season, the beaches are full of people.
“We can not relax,” said Costa. calling on the Portuguese to continue to adhere to hygiene measures and distances.
Although only 38% of the population has been vaccinated to date, the new cases mainly affect unvaccinated young people. Deaths, however, have not increased, they remain in single digits, well below the levels of February.
A overnight curfew has been in place in 45 municipalities since last week, including Lisbon, Porto and Albufeira. Restaurants and other shops close earlier on weekends in some areas.
According to the National Institutes of Health, the Delta variant is responsible for 89.1% of infections. A large increase in cases is observed in the Atlantic islands, Madeira and the Azores, as well as in northern Portugal. More than half of the new cases reported today come from the Lisbon region.
Health Minister Marta Temido, in an interview with TVI on Monday night, warned that if the upward trend continues, the cases could double to 4,000 a day around mid-July. Asked if new restrictions could be imposed, he said he could not rule out the possibility.
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