Use of face masks in health facilities no longer compulsory

The use of masks and visors is no longer mandatory in health establishments and services and in residential/ care facilities for the elderly and vulnerable populations, according to an ordinance published today in government gazette, Diário da República. The move is in line with other European countries, who have largely dispensed with restrictions brought in in the name of the pandemic. Scientific opinion remains divided on the merit of masks in reducing transmission/ infection by Covid-19, but the official mantra in Portugal is that they are still ‘recommended’ for “vulnerable people”.