Metropolitano de Lisboa opened validation channels across the network to increase ease of travel and less need for workers to intervene, with “the consequent desired social distance” due to the covid-19 outbreak.
In a statement, Metropolitano de Lisboa states that, with the opening of the validation channels, the intention is to create “the conditions necessary to guarantee an increase in the ease of travel” for passengers, “avoiding the contact of tickets and passes in validators which, despite the measures already implemented to reinforce cleaning, can always be points of contagion and potential transmitters of covid-19 “.
On the other hand, the note reads, the opening of the channels will also allow minimizing the need for interaction with the equipment by Metropolitano de Lisboa employees, reducing the risk of contagion and “maintaining a greater reserve of physically fit workers, guaranteeing them some prophylactic period”.
There will also be a reduction in a number of tasks that are currently carried out by service providers in the area of surveillance, cleaning and money collection.
Metropolitano de Lisboa, which is now in the company’s “fourth phase of implementing the Contingency Plan”, indicates that it will re-evaluate the effects of implementing the measure until the end of the month and will continue to monitor the evolution of the situation, “depending on the levels demand and availability of its employees “, adopting the measures that, at each moment, are considered necessary to guarantee the best health and safety conditions.
More than 200,000 infected people worldwide
The new coronavirus, responsible for the Covid-19 pandemic, infected more than 210,000 people worldwide, of whom more than 8,750 died. Of the infected people, more than 84,000 have recovered from the disease.
The outbreak began in China in December and has already spread to 170 countries and territories, which has led the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare a pandemic situation.
In Portugal, the Directorate-General for Health (DGS) today raised the number of confirmed cases of infection to 642, 194 more than on Tuesday. The death toll in the country has risen to two.
Tonight, the President of the Republic decreed a state of emergency in Portugal, for 15 days, due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The announcement was made by Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa in a communication to the country, from the Palace of Belém, in Lisbon, after hearing the Council of State, having obtained the positive opinion of the Government and the approval of the decree by the Assembly of the Republic, in Lisbon.
– .
