“Chega comes to propose that the use of the mask in most places is no longer mandatory, keeping this mandatory only in health establishments or in structures for the elderly or other people in a situation of special vulnerability, dropping its use in collective passenger transport, including air transport, as well as in the transport of passengers by taxi or TVDE”, reads the explanatory memorandum.

In the bill sent to newsrooms, Chega recognises that “the mask was an important tool in the fight against the pandemic”, but argues that “its mandatory use also has negative impacts on the population”, and considers that “after a period of mass vaccination and finally some control over the pandemic” it is “time to definitively recover normality”.

Pointing to “the impact that wearing a mask has on children’s lives”, namely “on learning processes and outcomes”, the Chega Parliamentary Group also wants to increase the maximum age for wearing a mask from 12 to 15 years old.

In the explanatory statement, the far-right party also points out that the rise in temperatures enhances the “irregular use of the use of a mask due to the discomfort caused by the heat”.

According to Chega, it makes no sense for planes, taxis or TVDE to force passengers to wear a mask when in hairdressers or banks “often operating in spaces equal or even smaller than a bus” there is no such obligation.