There, the fight against the coronavirus looks a bit different than in our country. People get vaccinated, they follow the rules. The state also favors them a bit, because all covid funds can be bought for really little money – writes our reader, who recently returned from vacation in Portugal.
- In Portugal, you will not enter any means of communication without a mask – says Robert in an e-mail sent to MedTvoiLokony
- Pharmacy smear tests cost less than € 2, she says
- Masks are also very cheap – he adds
- You can find more such stories on the TvoiLokony home page
We have planned this year’s vacation in Portugal. We left at the beginning of August, when infections started to rise again in Poland. Just like in part of Europe. We wondered what the pandemic looks like in Portugal and whether we will be able to avoid infection. Because apparently no one is safe with this new Omicron now.
We did not escape. The six of us spent our holidays. Two families of three (both parents plus teenage daughter). Half of us contracted COVID-19 in the first week. At two-day intervals. First dad, then mom in the second family. In both cases the symptoms were similar: first high fever, then weakness. It all took two days. Then our daughter fell ill. The symptom was only a sore throat, it lasted for one day. The end. We treated ourselves symptomatically. A visit to the doctor was not necessary. The other three had no symptoms, two tested themselves just in case, the result was negative. We are all fully vaccinated and as you can see, the vaccine has served its purpose.
Covid tests for 2 euro
And here I would like to go to the “covid” prices in Portugal. A smear test in pharmacies there costs less than 2 euros. So about 8-9 zlotys. And with us? I guess it’s hard to find a test costing less than PLN 20. Similarly with masks. A pack of 50 in a supermarket also costs less than 2 euros.
And you need to know that masks are essential in Portugal in the means of communication. Even though the peak incidence is behind them. We traveled by trains, city and intercity buses as well as trams in Lisbon. Everyone, well almost everyone wears face masks. If someone did not wear a mask, it was most likely a tourist. Several times we have witnessed a culprit without a mask being withdrawn by a bus or tram driver. In Portugal, these vehicles are only accessed from the front entrance, so it’s easy to see if someone is following the rules.
Anyway, I crashed into the system myself once. On the first day, I was not aware of what it looked like and thought that I would wear a mask after boarding the tram. This older model just happened. It’s a small vehicle, the driver sits in the center, so all he had to do was stick out a rather sturdy hand and block my entrance. I had to go back to the end of the line, put on a mask and then get on the tram.
They follow the rules in Portugal
Our vacation was great. Even thanks to the people of Portugal. They are kind, friendly and calm people. We didn’t see any rowdies there, rarely heard raised voices, and the horn in the street is a really special thing. Someone may say that the Portuguese are perhaps too obedient, because the vaccination rate there is one of the highest in Europe, and in the case of seniors it is probably 100%.
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There, the fight against the coronavirus looks a bit different than in our country. People get vaccinated, they follow the rules. The state also favors them a bit, because all covid funds can be bought for really little money.