The measure was decided by the Council of Ministers and will enter into force after its publication in the Diário da República.

At the press conference at the end of the Council of Ministers, the Minister of Health, Marta Temido, said that rules regarding the carrying out of diagnostic tests for the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes covid-19, will no longer be set, and may be carried out in situations determined by the Directorate-General for Health.

She also announced that “the digital certificate covid-19 in the test or recovery modality, or other proof of laboratory performance, is no longer required for access to residential structures and for visits to health care establishments”.

It will be up to the Directorate-General for Health to determine the specific rules and guidelines for the protection of the most vulnerable populations.

Passenger locator form

The Council of Ministers also decided to revoke the Passenger Locator Form, which means that passengers on flights to or from mainland Portugal or cruise ships when docking in mainland Portugal will no longer be required to fill it in.

“The explanation [for this measure] is obvious and has to do with what we failed to do in terms of tracing broad-spectrum contacts”, explained Marta Temido.

Given the positive evolution of the epidemiological situation in Portugal, the Government also decided to limit the mandatory use of a mask only to health establishments and services, homes, reception structures or home support services for vulnerable populations or elderly people and to public transport of passengers.