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PSD president Rui Rio said today that he doubts the “effectiveness” of the measures implemented to combat the covid-19 pandemic, considering that the mandatory curfew during the weekend may have the “opposite effect” to what is intended.
“I do not want to make a declared opposition to something that is very difficult, but I have some difficulties to understand the effectiveness,” Rui Rio said today.
On the sidelines of a meeting with the Confederação Empresarial de Portugal – CIP, Rui Rio said he did not understand the effectiveness of some measures, particularly those that restrict circulation and impose curfews in 121 municipalities.
“The fact that you cannot be on the streets between 11 pm and 5 am, of course stops the pandemic, but is it between 11 pm and 5 am when the pandemic occurs on the street? it won’t be so much ”, questioned the social democrat.
Rui Rio also questioned the effectiveness of the curfew between 1:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. on weekends, considering that, in particular on Saturdays, it can have “the opposite effect as expected.”
“On Saturday, I’m afraid this may be even a little worse because it can concentrate on Saturday morning the weekly purchases that families normally do,” he said, and said, however, wanting to “maintain a sense of state.” .
“I want to maintain the sense of state, but I doubt the effectiveness of the measures, as designed,” he said.
Regarding the meeting with the CIP and another that he had with the catering sector, Rui Rio considered that the measures to combat the pandemic must find “a balanced situation.”
“On the one hand, we want restaurants to open so that they can sell, bill, so that people can get jobs and, on the other hand, we want restaurants to close so that people do not know each other and transmit the virus among themselves. This is an equation that has practically no pleasant solution, ”he emphasized.
To journalists, Rui Rio said that in two days he will have a meeting to review the proposals that the party will present to support companies for the 2021 State Budget and that “they are within the line defended by the CIP. and the restaurant sector ”.
Portugal entered a state of emergency today, from 00:00 to November 23, to combat the covid-19 pandemic, imposing, among other measures, a night curfew in 121 municipalities with more cases of contagion.
This measure that prohibits traffic on public roads between 11:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. on weekdays and, for the next two weekends, starting at 1:00 p.m., is applied in 121 municipalities considered to be at high risk of transmission. COVID-19.
These municipalities, which cover 70% of the resident population, include all the municipalities in the metropolitan areas of Lisbon and Porto.
The measure was approved by an extraordinary Council of Ministers that took place on Saturday night and provides for exceptions such as commuting to work, returning home, emergency situations, hygienic walks in the vicinity of homes or animals that walk.
Last week, the Government had already approved other measures to contain the pandemic on the continent, such as groupings in restaurants limited to six people, unless they belong to the same household.
The covid-19 pandemic caused at least 1,255,803 deaths in more than 50.3 million cases of infection worldwide, according to a report by the French agency AFP.
In Portugal 2,959 people died for 183,420 confirmed cases of infection, according to the most recent bulletin of the General Directorate of Health.
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