Civil Protection

Outdoor bars in Porto are temporarily suspended by order of the Mayor

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All patio cafés and outdoor bars in Porto are temporarily suspended, as of 15th March, by order of Mayor of Porto, Rui Moreira, as a preventive measure to fight Covid-19.

There was nobody in sight in the most popular nightlife areas of Porto, the Galerias de Paris and Ribeira, on 13th and 14th March evening. There is a good reason for this: Municipal Authorities are urging everyone to stay indoors and avoid social mingling, as a precautionary measure to fight the new coronavirus, which is rapidly spreading at global level and led the WHO to describing the situation as a pandemic, last 13th March.

This decision was backed by the valuable collaboration of the city's bar owners, who have voluntarily agreed to cooperate with the Municipality, with many of them offering to be of assistance to the city and to its citizens.

This is a time when the public-spiritedness and civic sense of the people of Porto is showing admirable in the fight to the pandemic.

Starting Sunday, 15th March, all patio cafés and outdoor bars in Porto are temporarily suspended until 9th April. This measure will be reassessed whenever needed.

Mayor of Porto, Rui Moreira urges Prime Minister, António Costa to declare National Emergency

Mayor of Porto, Rui Moreira has requested that Prime Minister, António Costa declares national emergency as circumstances are of extreme urgency.

Porto City Hall was pioneer in Portugal in maximizing efforts to contain or delay spread of the Covid-19 pandemic; first by implementing an internal contingency plan in accordance to the guidelines by the National Directorate for Health; second, by cancelling all events and closing museums and public facilities, as well as the Municipal Theatre and front office municipal services, on 10th March.

In addition, the Municipality supported the administration of the STCP (Bus Company) to dismissing ticket validation and only permitting passenger entry and exit in buses by the vehicles' rear door.

Despite the exemplary response by the citizens of Porto to the recommendations issued by the Municipal authorities, Mayor of Porto, Rui Moreira requested the Prime Minister, António Costa to declare the state of National Emergency so that the Municipal Police can have the authority to implement more severe prevention measures.