Interesting outline of plans in Portugal - I'd expect something similar :
António Costa wants a gradual lifting of the existing confinement measures - "every fifteenth days"
With the motto "maximum restraint and minimum disruption" in the daily lives of citizens, the prime minister expects May and June to be the months of "transition to progressive deconfinement", but underlines that this does not mean a return to the life we had before the epidemic outbreak, given that is likely that, the new coronavirus will be a lingering part of our lives for at least a year, if not much longer and probably without a vaccine or treatment.
´We all have to realize that for the next year or 18 months we are not going to be living like we were before February,’
If the current round of social-distancing measures works, the pandemic may ebb enough for things to return to a semblance of normalcy. Our lives will be shaped by the choices made and we must be prepared so we do not get caught up in a similar situation.
“If the first phase was designed to contain the pandemic without killing the economy, now the priority is to start reviving the economy, without leaving the pandemic out of control.´For this reason, we must move gradually, with a cadence, in my opinion, every fifteen days´, affirmed António Costa, in response to a question by the deputy general secretary of the Socialist Party, José Luís Carneiro, about a possible “progressive opening” of the economy.
António Costa added that this opening “must be progressive, sector by sector, activity by activity, avoiding crowding at certain points or places, with critical management of the public transport network, with improved supply and lagged demand, through time lag, "to have the months of May and June as months of transition to progressive deconfinement ".
Costa said the government could announce a calendar and program for relaxing the lockdown on April 30, two days before the current state of emergency is due to end. Small neighborhood shops would likely open first, followed by larger high street stores and then malls, he said.
But he was cautious about the prospects of Portugal’s vital international tourism sector being opened up in time for the peak summer season.
“I don’t anticipate that the EU’s external borders will be opened that early, as for the internal borders there’s no target fixed for opening them,” Costa said. “This is a year when we have to look to the domestic market.” Tourism accounted for 14 percent of the country’s GDP last year.
He also warned there will “certainly” be restrictions on beach access even in August. “We can’t have crowding. City halls and port authorities will have to take the necessary measures so that we can go to the beach without crowds forming,” he said.
Costa also suggested a gradual return to normality could involve a limited restart of cultural and sporting activities, for example cinemas opening with attendance restricted to every third seat and every other row; or football games in empty or partially filled stadiums. Masks will be obligatory in schools and on public transport.
António Costa also referred that the measures that were taken by the Government gave the country “enormous capital for the future when we have to relaunch our economy and reaffirm our credibility as a viable country for international partners and for the attraction of investment that is fundamental so that we can continue our trajectory of modernization and creation of better qualified and better paid jobs ”.
António Costa wants a gradual lifting of the existing confinement measures - "every fifteenth days"
With the motto "maximum restraint and minimum disruption" in the daily lives of citizens, the prime minister expects May and June to be the months of "transition to progressive deconfinement", but underlines that this does not mean a return to the life we had before the epidemic outbreak, given that is likely that, the new coronavirus will be a lingering part of our lives for at least a year, if not much longer and probably without a vaccine or treatment.
´We all have to realize that for the next year or 18 months we are not going to be living like we were before February,’
If the current round of social-distancing measures works, the pandemic may ebb enough for things to return to a semblance of normalcy. Our lives will be shaped by the choices made and we must be prepared so we do not get caught up in a similar situation.
“If the first phase was designed to contain the pandemic without killing the economy, now the priority is to start reviving the economy, without leaving the pandemic out of control.´For this reason, we must move gradually, with a cadence, in my opinion, every fifteen days´, affirmed António Costa, in response to a question by the deputy general secretary of the Socialist Party, José Luís Carneiro, about a possible “progressive opening” of the economy.
António Costa added that this opening “must be progressive, sector by sector, activity by activity, avoiding crowding at certain points or places, with critical management of the public transport network, with improved supply and lagged demand, through time lag, "to have the months of May and June as months of transition to progressive deconfinement ".
Costa said the government could announce a calendar and program for relaxing the lockdown on April 30, two days before the current state of emergency is due to end. Small neighborhood shops would likely open first, followed by larger high street stores and then malls, he said.
But he was cautious about the prospects of Portugal’s vital international tourism sector being opened up in time for the peak summer season.
“I don’t anticipate that the EU’s external borders will be opened that early, as for the internal borders there’s no target fixed for opening them,” Costa said. “This is a year when we have to look to the domestic market.” Tourism accounted for 14 percent of the country’s GDP last year.
He also warned there will “certainly” be restrictions on beach access even in August. “We can’t have crowding. City halls and port authorities will have to take the necessary measures so that we can go to the beach without crowds forming,” he said.
Costa also suggested a gradual return to normality could involve a limited restart of cultural and sporting activities, for example cinemas opening with attendance restricted to every third seat and every other row; or football games in empty or partially filled stadiums. Masks will be obligatory in schools and on public transport.
António Costa also referred that the measures that were taken by the Government gave the country “enormous capital for the future when we have to relaunch our economy and reaffirm our credibility as a viable country for international partners and for the attraction of investment that is fundamental so that we can continue our trajectory of modernization and creation of better qualified and better paid jobs ”.
