By Damon Mitchell • Published: 01 May 2020 • 21:54
Portugal goes to the ballot boxes one week ahead of the national elections. Credit: Twitter
THE government in Portugal will enforce sanctions from this coming Monday, May 4, to those failing to wear masks in public transport.
A government source claimed that “the creation of a sanctioning regime is foreseen, with administrative offences” for those who do not use a mask in public transport, where the permitted capacity of passengers will be two-thirds of the usual permitted to allow for social distancing.
The fines handed out to those who do not comply will be from €120 and €350.
Earlier today, the Prime Minister, António Costa said that wearing masks will be “mandatory in public transport, in commerce, in schools and in closed places where there are high numbers of people.” However, this requirement does not extend to students in day-care centres and nurseries, only to students years 11 and 12, who will take part in face-to-face classes. It was also pointed out that in educational establishments, it will be the government that will distribute protective equipment.
It will also be mandatory to wear masks in the small high-street stores that will open on Monday, this will include hairdressers, manicurists and salons. However, in these spaces fines will not be imposed.
The Prime Minister also guaranteed that over this coming weekend it will be possible to access “masks for community use in abundance, easily accessible in supermarkets” and that this was one of the criteria for the relaxing of measures starting in May.
Share this story
Subscribe to our Euro Weekly News alerts to get the latest stories into your inbox!
By signing up, you will create a Euro Weekly News account if you don't already have one. Review our Privacy Policy for more information about our privacy practices.
From the interviewed to the interviewer
As frontman of a rock band Damon used to court the British press, now he lives the quiet life in Spain and seeks to get to the heart of the community, scoring exclusive interviews with ex-pats about their successes and struggles during their new life in the sun.
Originally from Scotland but based on the coast for the last three years, Damon strives to bring the most heartfelt news stories from the spanish costas to the Euro Weekly News.
Share your story with us by emailing newsdesk@euroweeklynews.com, by calling +34 951 38 61 61 or by messaging our Facebook page www.facebook.com/EuroWeeklyNews
By signing up, you will create a Euro Weekly News account if you don’t already have one. Review our Privacy Policy for more information about our privacy practices.
Download our media pack in either English or Spanish.