Easter is usually a time for families to get together, but this time it can't be. In a Q&A format, DN explains the restrictions that have been put in place.


When exactly do these Easter restrictions apply?

Take note: between midnight on Thursday (April 9) and midnight on Monday (April 13).


Can I visit my parents in the countryside?

No way. You have to stay at home this time.


Can they come to visit us?

Of course not.


Can our emigrants in Luxembourg visit us?

No. They must stay at home. And the security forces are controlling the borders. This Easter cannot be a time for family reunions. The COVID-19 virus does not circulate in the air—it is carried by people. The more you restrict the movement of people, the more you limit the spread of the virus. Staying put saves lives.


Can I get on a plane and ‘get out of here’?

Airports will be closed during the same period: from midnight on Thursday (April 9) to midnight on Monday (April 13). This restriction does not apply to emergency landings, humanitarian flights, or repatriation flights.


Can't I even travel from my municipality to the neighboring municipality?

No.


Not even on foot, by bicycle, or by public transportation?

Absolutely not.


But I live in Montijo. The municipality is discontinuous. How can I travel within it if I have to pass through other municipalities to get from one point to another in the same municipality?

The law explicitly provides for cases of discontinuous municipalities, such as Montijo. In this case, to go from one point to another in the same municipality, you are allowed to cross others.


What could happen to me if I am caught by the police?

You could be charged with disobedience.


But wasn't that charge only for COVID-19 patients and people under active surveillance who were subject to mandatory confinement?

It was—but it is no longer. With the renewal of the state of emergency approved by the AR on April 2 and regulated by the government on the same day, other situations became subject to charges of disobedience.


Which ones, exactly?

When the following duties are not fulfilled:

- Mandatory confinement;
- Restrictions on movement during the Easter period;
- Closure of facilities and establishments that cannot operate during a state of emergency;
- Suspension of retail activities;
Suspension of service provision activities.


Are there any exceptions to this restriction on inter-municipal movement?

Of course there are. If you are working (but it is best to carry a statement from your company with you in case the police stop you). Or for health reasons or, as the law states, for “imperative reasons of urgency.”


To buy the Easter goat, I prefer the market to the supermarket. Can I go?

Yes, you can—as long as the market is in your municipality of residence. Markets are allowed to operate.


The prime minister said that from now on, during this extension of the state of emergency (which is in force until midnight on April 17), gatherings of more than five people are not allowed. Is that really the case?

Yes. The regulatory decree extending the state of emergency states that “it is the responsibility of the security forces and services and the municipal police to enforce compliance” with what is determined, namely by “dispersing gatherings of more than five people, unless they belong to the same household.”


Are there any professions specifically exempt from these inter-municipal movement restrictions?

Yes: healthcare professionals and other workers in healthcare and social support institutions, as well as civil protection agents; security forces and services agents, military and civilian personnel of the Armed Forces, and inspectors of the Food and Economic Safety Authority; as well as magistrates and leaders of social partners.


Can the President of the Republic travel between his home (municipality of Cascais) and the Belém Palace (municipality of Lisbon)?

Yes. Political office holders have also been included in the exceptions. Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa has already said, however, that he will spend Easter at the Belém Palace.


And can the prime minister also travel between home and work?

Yes. Firstly, because he is included in the category of political office holders. Secondly, because he lives in Lisbon (Benfica) and works in Lisbon (S.Bento).


And Mass on Easter Sunday...

No, he can't. The regulatory decree on the state of emergency states that “religious celebrations and other worship events involving large gatherings of people are prohibited.” Several parishes have been holding Masses online.






Source: DN
Dicas Úteis