Many citizens of Braga took advantage of the pre-confinement morning to shop and take a stroll around the city, before the curfew begins, set for 1:00 pm on Saturday and until 5:00 am on Sunday.
In the morning at Pingo Doce de São Vicente, the queue outside the store was visible, as the interior capacity was sold out several times.
TO MINHO, Deolinda Alves, from São Víctor, explains that she came to make “the last grocery shopping” for the weekend.
“I have no intention of leaving home until Monday, so I came here now to do some shopping I needed to be able to be at home,” said the seamstress by profession.
Photo: Fernando André Silva / O MINHO
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Deolinda is in favor of this withdrawal, as she is “frightened” by the increase in cases in the municipality. “Nothing like this has ever been seen, there are many people who say that this is paranoia but many people have died in the country and here in Braga and they are not just old people as they say”, shot Braga.
Also in the city center, several people shopped at the shops, still open, to prepare the confinement in peace.
In the historic center, even small grocery stores, which can be open during the afternoon thanks to an exception decreed by the Council of Ministers, which allows the opening of food and hygiene stores with less than 200 square meters and with a door to the street.
Photo: Fernando André Silva / O MINHO
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Commerce and restaurants started today the first of two weekends when they can only open between 08:00 and 13:00, under the state of emergency, a measure contested by several business associations.
In the early hours of November 8, the country learned from the Prime Minister, António Costa, that circulation would be limited on the following two weekends, between 13:00 on Saturday and 05:00 on Sunday and at 13 : 00 on Sunday and 05:00 on Monday, in the 121 counties most at risk of contagion with the new coronavirus (they will increase to 191 as of Monday).
Within the scope of the state of emergency enacted due to the covid-19 pandemic, the Government also decided to introduce a curfew between 11 pm and 5 am on weekdays, between 9 and 23 November (while the state of emergency, which is valid for 15 days and can be renewed), in the most affected municipalities, with shops closing until 22:00 and restaurants until 22:30.
There followed a week of contestation and expression of doubts regarding the exceptions to the measure, by several trade associations representing commerce and restaurants.
Thus, on Thursday, the Government decided to order the closure of trade and restaurants at 1 pm, this and next weekend.
It was also decided that the opening of establishments can only take place after 8:00 am.
“The rule is that everything is closed at 13:00”, said the Prime Minister, António Costa, in a press conference after the meeting of the Council of Ministers, referring to the municipalities with high risk of contagion from covid-19.
The restaurants can only operate from 13:00 for home delivery, clarified the prime minister, and not for ‘take away’, as businessmen in the sector expected.
António Costa also announced that there will be a 20% support for the loss of revenue from restaurants on both weekends compared to the average of the previous 44 weekends (from January to October 2020).
Outside the obligation to close from 13:00 and to open only from 08:00 are pharmacies, clinics and offices, veterinarians, establishments selling food with a door to the street up to 200 square meters, gas pumps , bakeries and funeral homes.
* with Lusa
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