By Ann Abel

The discussion of a“Portuguese miracle” may have been too much, but now that Europe is tentatively emerging from the first wave of the coronavirus, it’s clear that the country performed well.

Although Portugal hit pause during the same week as much of the world, it was early relative to the virus’s foothold here. When the state of alert started on March 12, there were 78 confirmed cases of Covid-19 and zero deaths. When the state of emergency was announced on March 18, there were 642 confirmed cases and 2 deaths. But well before that, many restaurants were closing voluntarily and many Portuguese were choosing to stay home, even without instructions to do so.

“Portugal did things right,” says Paulo Salvador, a journalist and the editor in chief of TVI …

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Ann Abel is a travel writer and editor and was a senior editor at ForbesLife. She writes for Forbes, Departures, Conde Nast Traveller, Robb Report, Afar, National Geographic Traveler, Islands, Hemispheres, Brides, Modern Bride, Well + Good NYC, and other print and online publications.”In the name of lifestyle journalism, ” she says, ” I’ve gotten a tattoo in Bora Bora, been bitten by a massage therapist, and flown small aircraft above three continents.” She lives in Lisbon.