Portugal – State of emergency

17 November, 2020

Update

The designated operator of Portugal, CTT Correios de Portugal, would like to inform other Union member countries and their designated operators that the situation in Portugal with regard to the COVID-19 pandemic has deteriorated. Therefore, the Portuguese Government has declared a new state of emergency, effective from 9 November 2020, which will be reassessed every two weeks.

During the state of emergency, postal services will continue to function, subject to the restrictions imposed by reinforced measures aimed at minimizing the spread of COVID-19 and protecting the health of staff and customers. Owing to social distancing measures, such as staggered shift patterns, and the implementation of mandatory isolation and quarantine requirements, CTT Correios de Portugal will be operating with a reduced workforce.

The processing and delivery of all types of service will be affected, including inbound and outbound letter-post, parcel-post and EMS items. As a result, CTT Correios de Portugal is unable to meet its contractual obligations, particularly with regard to delivery times for letters, parcels and EMS items, standard rules for collection of signature on delivery, hand delivery, tracking of shipments (capture and transmission times), processing of cash on delivery, and insured items. Therefore, the situation of force majeure previously declared will continue to apply until further notice.

CTT Correios de Portugal wishes to thank all Union member countries and their designated operators for their understanding.