Lisbon City Council today activated the contingency plan for homeless people, due to the cold weather in the city, and the Metropolitano will open three stations during the night, the municipality announced.
The activation of the plan implies the opening of the Casal Vistoso Municipal Pavilion, where hot meals, food and warm clothing will be served, the municipality said in a statement.
According to the city council, the Street Technical Teams will “refer homeless people to the Casal Vistoso Municipal Pavilion”.
The pavilion will also be home to the Integrated Device for Supporting Homeless People, which brings together and has the support of various structures.
According to the municipality, the Mayor of Lisbon, Carlos Moedas (PSD), will be at the Casal Vistoso Municipal Pavilion this afternoon.
In addition to the opening of the pavilion, the Rossio, Santa Apolónia and Oriente metro stations will also be open to homeless people from 23:00 to 06:30.
According to the Portuguese Institute for the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA), a mass of polar air has caused temperatures to be lower than normal for this time of year.
According to a note from the IPMA, from late Wednesday afternoon, “a continental polar air mass, originating in the Scandinavian region, will gradually invade the north of the Iberian Peninsula, and then the south, resulting in a further drop in temperature, especially the minimum” on Thursday.
“Thus, on the 11th, minimum temperatures are expected to be between -5 and 0°C in the northern and central interior, between 1 and 5°C in the southern interior and the northern and central coast, and up to 8°C on the southern coast,” the statement reads.
