2.8m people banned from going in and out of Portugal’s capital due to rise in cases

The Portuguese government have introduced new restrictions banning locals from travelling in or out of Lisbon over the weekends, which is the largest city in the country.

From 3pm on Friday around 2.8m people who live in the Portuguese capital of Lisbon will not be allowed out, except for work and flights.

There will be police check points across the capital preventing anyone from travelling in or out for unnecessary travel.

There is a high community transmission of the contagious Indian variant within the area, as 804 cases were confirmed in Lisbon out of 1,233 new daily infections.

Authorities are concerned the spike in cases could put pressure on hospitals and are preparing for the worse.

Lisbon has crossed over the authorities red line, as 14-days of cumulative cases per 100,000 population is now 240, the national rate stands at 90.

Mariana Vieira da Silva who is a Portuguese government cabinet spokeswoman said, “We’re aware [travel ban] isn’t easy and that it’s not what people want, but we feel it’s necessary to protect the rest of the country.”