Portugal winds down Covid restrictions as cases fall

Passengers wearing face masks against the spread of coronavirus take pictures from a tram driving through the Alfama neighbourhood in Lisbon (Armando Franca/AP)

Portugal’s government has announced it is winding down coronavirus restrictions, following the path of other European countries where a surge in cases blamed on the Omicron variant is ebbing.

Among the requirements being scrapped are – isolation if a close contact tests positive, limits on the number of people gathering in public areas, producing a digital vaccination certificate to gain entry to restaurants and other venues, and proof of a negative test to enter sports events, bars and discos.