According to a decree approved by the government this Thursday, the use of masks in health or elderly support institutions will no longer be mandatory.
Presenting the results of today’s cabinet meeting, the Minister of the President, Mariana Vieira da Silva, decreed the mandatory use of masks in health institutions and services as follows. The covid-19 pandemic.
The Minister added that it is no longer mandatory to use masks in residential structures, reception or home support services for vulnerable people, the elderly or disabled.
The same is happening in units of the National Network of Continuing Care where mandatory use of masks was still in place.
The Ministry of Health, for its part, pointed out that the recommendation for the use of masks is mainly in closed environments or gatherings, with vulnerable people, such as those with chronic diseases or low immunity. Risk for Covid-19
“The use of the mask should be adapted to the individual medical situation, i.e., developmental or behavioral disturbance, respiratory failure or other pathologies, through each case assessment by the attending physician”, the ministry’s note adds.
Covid-19 has caused more than 26,000 deaths in Portugal, resulting in more than 5.5 million infections.