Portugal has announced a three-part plan to return to normality, as as it ramps up its vaccination drive.

"Today we presented the next step in liberating society and the economy, which will happen progressively and gradually," said Portugal's Prime Minister Antonio Costa.

"The incidence rate and the infection rhythm in Portugal are going down, as well as the number of hospitalizations, intensive care patients and deaths…[and] the pressure on the national health service has also gone down," Costa said.

With more than half of the country fully vaccinated, the first restrictions were lifted on Monday, including the end of night curfews, allowing restaurants and bars to return to their normal schedule of closing at 2 a.m. and allowing the reopening of most venues still closed such as sports stadiums, casinos and gyms. Nightclubs, however, remain closed at this stage.

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Some restrictions still apply, such as wearing a mask outdoors and indoors and presenting a digital vaccine certificate or a negative test to enter restaurants at weekends.

The second phase of the plan will happen when 70 percent of all Portuguese are vaccinated. This is expected to be in early September. At that point, crowd capacities at large venues will be increased to 75 percent capacity.

The "freedom day," or the last part of plan, will happen when 85 percent of people have received both doses, which could happen in October.

That is when all capacity restrictions are lifted and nightclubs can finally reopen. A digital certificate will be necessary to enter the clubs.

The government says this is the result of an acceleration in vaccination to fight the Delta variant.

The number of COVID-19 cases has stabilized, more than half a million people are receiving the jab every week and a total of 67 percent of eligible people have received at least one dose.

Authorities are confident "complete freedom" can be achieved by the end of the summer, but will continue to review this plan.

"This is the moment to try to control the pandemic and resume activities, accompanying the rhythm of the complete vaccination of the population," the prime minister said.

"But we'll be careful and watchful because the virus remains active and mutating. No one can guarantee there won't be new variants that disturb the expected evolution that we planned," he added.