“We are exactly at an opportune stage to think about easing restrictions, because we are in the descending part of the Omicron wave, with the Rt [transmissibility index] below 1 and a decrease in cases”, said Gustavo Tato Borges.

The president of the National Association of Public Health Doctors was speaking to Lusa about the next meeting of Infarmed, on Wednesday, to analyse the evolution of the situation of Covid-19 in Portugal.

For Gustavo Tato Borges, there is still a “high transmission” of the SARS-Cov-2 virus, with more than 5,000 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the last 14 days, when “the ideal”, according to the European Center for the Control and Prevention of Diseases (ECDC) is 120 cases per 100,000 population.

“Therefore, the relief of the measures has to be progressive, proportional and cautious”, he defended.

From his perspective, what could begin to be alleviated at this stage is the obligation to present vaccination certificates to enter the different spaces, since “the vast majority” of the eligible population is vaccinated or has recovered.

In these situations, the vaccination certificate and even the test certificate may drop.

But, according to the public health doctor, there are “three fundamental situations” in which they must continue to be required: access to hospitals, homes and continued care units in the community, as well as access to major events.

For Gustavo Tato Borges, the limitation of the maximum capacity of commercial spaces can also drop, because it no longer has great advantages, as well as stop wearing a mask in outdoor spaces, because you are “starting to enter into good weather, using the environment more outside, where air circulation is favoured”.

These are the “fundamental measures” that can be changed at this stage.