NORMALCY RETURNS TO ONCE HARD-HIT PORTUGAL

After weeks of being slammed by the coronavirus, Portugal is slowly coming back to normal as infection rates are now on the decline and public life is being allowed to resume, Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa) reported.

Starting Monday, restaurants, cafes, and pubs have been allowed to serve guests again, including indoors - though conditions apply. Large shopping malls, theatres, cinemas, high schools, and universities also reopened for the first time in three months.

The new relaxations are "a sign of hope and confidence in the future," said Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.

Unlike other countries in Europe that are struggling, Portugal was able to give the green light on easing measures because virus measures appeared to be working.

Only 10 municipalities are still not allowed to reopen, including the Algarve vacation region.

However, things aren't totally the way they were before the pandemic: Restaurants, for example, are only allowed to receive guests until 10:30 pm on weekdays and until 1 pm on weekends and holidays.

The land border with Spain also still remains closed. As recently as January, Portugal temporarily had the highest infection figures in the world in relation to its population.

The hospitals were on the verge of collapse, but the strict lockdown decided in mid-January bore fruit, and Portugal is now among the countries with the lowest infection rates per 100,000 residents.

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