Portugal is beginning to reopen its economy after the «state of emergency» declared on March 19th.

Starting on May 4, the three-phase plan will open up different sectors of the economy every 15 days, starting with small neighbourhood shops, hairdressers, car dealerships and bookshops. The next round will be on May 18, including larger shops; restaurants, cafés and terraces (at half capacity); museums, palaces and monuments; daycare centers; and in-person classes for 11th- and 12th-year students preparing for exams. The final stage, on June 1, would include larger stores and shopping malls, preschools, cinemas, theaters and religious services.

Portugal has been found to have the highest rate of testing per capita among the countries most impacted (according to the professional database Statista), a decrease in number of cases in hospitals and in intensive care, and a consistent decrease in the rate of contagion across the country.

On April 24, Turismo de Portugal announced the “Clean & Safe” certification.

The country’s hotels, tourism enterprises, entertainment companies and travel agencies can apply for this stamp of approval to show that they are compliant with hygiene and cleaning requirements for the prevention and control of COVID-19 and other possible infections. This is meant to reinforce visitors’ confidence in the safety of the destination. With this measure, Portugal Tourism Board intends to inform companies on the hygiene requirements and cleaning measures to ensure the safety of various establishments, according to the recommendations of the Directorate-General for Health, as well as promoting Portugal as a safe destination from the point of view of care with the spread of the Virus, reinforcing the confidence of those who visit the country.