Parliament decides today to wear a mask on the street for...

Parliament will debate and approve this Friday a PSD bill that imposes the mandatory use of masks in public spaces for at least three months, a measure that can be renewed.

The diploma, which is expected to vote today in general, specialty and global final, has a guaranteed approval with favorable votes from at least PSD, PS and CDS-PP.

Fonte do BE told Lusa that the party will make the diploma viable in general because, “from the first moment it follows the need to wear a mask on the street, in crowded contexts” in the context of the covid-19 pandemic, and will propose in particular, the free distribution of masks so that the measure does not penalize “the most vulnerable sectors of the population”.

The PCP will abstain, as will the ENP, sources from both parties told Lusa.

The only deputy and president of Chega, André Ventura, who had announced he was against the measure, will not vote on the diploma, since he is campaigning in the Azores. The Liberal Initiative, on the other hand, only said that it will not vote in favor.

The PSD initiative came about following the law proposal presented by the Government last week, which intended to make it mandatory to use both a mask and the StayAway Covid computer application.

After widespread criticism from the parties – including the PS – of the obligation to use the ‘app’ that was announced months ago as a volunteer, PSD President Rui Rio announced the intention of the Social Democrats to present a project identical to that of the Government, but only on the part about the masks, which was done last Friday.

In an interview with TVI on Monday, the Prime Minister, António Costa, announced that the Government would “disagree” the appreciation of his diploma, leaving only the “consensual” proposal of the PSD on the imposition of wearing the mask.

Regarding the Government diploma, the PSD clarified the validity of the law – for 90 days, renewable – and created an article that gives the Autonomous Regions of Madeira and the Azores the power to modulate the measure, in addition to removing any references to StayAway Covid.

On Thursday, the Social Democrats delivered a text replaced in relation to their initial diploma, with amendments “previously transmitted” to the PS, which deserved the socialists’ agreement, and which, among other measures, eliminate the possibility of the visor being used as an alternative to the mask.

The diploma determines that the use of a mask is mandatory for those over ten years of age for access, circulation or permanence in public spaces and roads “whenever the physical distance recommended by health authorities proves to be impractical”.

This obligation may be waived “in relation to people who are part of the same household, when they are not in the proximity of third parties” or by presenting a medical certificate of multipurpose disability or medical declaration attesting that the clinical condition or cognitive impairment does not allow the use of masks.

It is also not mandatory to wear a mask when “it is incompatible with the nature of the activities that people are carrying out”.

The inspection “is the responsibility of the security forces and the municipal police” and failure to comply with the use of a mask constitutes an offense, sanctioned with a fine between 100 and 500 euros.

Portugal accounts for at least 2,245 deaths associated with covid-19 in 109,541 confirmed cases of infection, according to the latest bulletin from the Directorate-General for Health (DGS).