Circulation between municipalities prohibited between 30 October and 3 November

The Council of Ministers this Thursday decreed the ban on movement between municipalities from October 30 to November 3, also announcing national mourning on November 2. Paços de Ferreira, Lousada and Felgueiras now have specific measures, namely the duty to remain at home.

Eight days after the return to the Calamity situation was announced, the Government decided to impose new measures to combat the spread of the new coronavirus in the country. Like this, between October 30th and November 3rd, weekend corresponding to the Day of the Dead, circulation between municipalities is suspended.

The Presidency Minister, Mariana Vieira da Silva, also announced that the Council of Ministers decided to declare the November 2nd as a national day of mourning “as a way of paying tribute to all the deceased, especially the victims of the pandemic”.

Also worth mentioning is a set of special decisions applicable to the municipalities of Felgueiras, Lousada and Paços de Ferreira, which face an exponential increase in new infections by covid-19. António Costa met with the three mayors this Wednesday and dismissed the need to resort to a sanitary fence or confinement, announcing “consensus among all” regarding the strategies to be adopted.

Among the measures, which come into effect at midnight this Friday and for 15 days, this: ” the duty to remain at home, and citizens should refrain from circulating in public spaces and roads, as well as in spaces and private roads equivalent to public roads, except for a set of trips that are authorized, namely for the acquisition of goods and services, for the performance of professional activities schoolchildren and for health reasons “.

It should also be noted that private vehicles can drive “as long as it is to carry out the authorized activities or for refueling at gas stations. “

In these three counties of Vale do Sousa, all commercial establishments will close at 10 pm, with the exception of pharmacies and places of sale of non-prescription drugs, doctor’s offices, clinics and emergency veterinary medical centers, service areas and fuel stations.

The Council of Ministers also decided prohibit events with more than five people, “unless they belong to the same household”, and from all fairs and markets.

Another measure is mandatory adoption of the teleworking regime whenever the functions concerned allow it. Finally, the visits to nursing homes and day care centers are suspended.

Mariana Vieira da Silva recalled that these measures are similar to the guidelines applied, previously, to the 19 parishes in Lisbon that registered a greater number of cases of infection.

At the meeting of the Council of Ministers it was also agreed that the Directorate-General for Health will acquire between this month and March 2021 more than one hundred thousand bottles of remdesivir antiviral medicine, under the trade name Veklury, for the treatment of patients with covid-19.

The decision was announced by the Minister of Health, Marta Temido, who explained that “the acquisition of more than one hundred thousand bottles” will cost about 35 million euros, since each one costs 345 euros.

With this purchase, the Government intends to “cover the care needs of our patients (…) between October 2020 and March 2021”.

Remdesivir is indicated for the treatment of adult and adolescent patients with pneumonia who need supplemental oxygen and was authorized in the European Union for covid-19, recalled Marta Temido.

The acquisition will be made through a specific contract to be concluded under the joint procurement framework contract between the European Commission and the pharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences.