This measure prohibiting people leaving their homes between 11 pm and 5 am on weekdays and from 1pm during the weekends, is applied in 121 municipalities considered to be at high risk of the transmission Covid-19.

These municipalities, which cover 70% of the resident population, include all municipalities in the Metropolitan Areas of Lisbon and Porto.

The measure was approved by an extraordinary Council of Ministers held on Saturday night and provides for exceptions such as commuting to work, emergency situations, taking exercise in the vicinity of housing and walking animals.

The executive also approved other measures that will apply to mainland Portugal, such as the possibility of measuring body temperature by non-invasive means in accessing the workplace, schools, means of transport or commercial and sports spaces.

It is also foreseen the possibility of requiring diagnostic tests for covid-19 in schools, homes, health establishments, when entering and leaving the national territory, prisons or other places that the Directorate-General for Health may determine.

The new state of emergency also provides for the possibility of requesting resources, means and health facilities from the private and social sectors.

Last week, the Government already approved other measures to contain the pandemic on the continent including limiting groups in restaurants to six people, unless they belong to the same household.