Second Wave in portugal

Epidemiologists warned us that a second wave of COVID-19 would appear in the autumn, and it has here in Portugal. The case numbers began to grow at the beginning of September and have steadily risen from there. The last two days we've seen 2K in new cases reported daily and the government has instituted a state of calamity, which is an emergency declaration. 1K of those cases are here in Northern Portugal.

Harold and I have always worn our masks from the moment we leave our apartment, but up until this point there wasn't a government push for citizens to wear them on the streets. Shops and mass transit, definitely, but not out in the general public. It's not a law yet, as best as I can tell, but it is strongly urged. Also, the numbers of folks who can get together for certain events has been lowered, and alcohol is not be sold in the stores after 8 p.m. I'm guessing the idea behind the last rule is that the more alcohol you have on board, the less likely you are to use sensible precautions. Here's a news article (in English) outlining the changes. 

Hopefully these new rules will level off the new cases and the increasing numbers of people in the public hospitals. Like most places on this planet, it looks to be a long winter here.