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The Prime Minister announced this Saturday the measures to combat covid-19 framed by the presidential decree of a state of emergency, which will indicatively be in force until January 7, including the Christmas and New Year periods.
On Friday, with the favorable votes of the PS, PSD and the unregistered deputy Cristina Rodrigues, the Assembly of the Republic approved the renewal of the state of emergency – Diploma with opposition from the PCP, PEV, Chega and Liberal Initiative, and abstentions from the Bloco de Esquerda, PAN, CDS and the unregistered deputy Joacine Katar Moreira.
This presidential decree that renews the state of emergency until December 23, with a reference in the introduction to its “foreseeable” extension until January 7, has a content identical to that in force, that is, to maintain the norms that allow restrictive measures to contain the covid-19 by groups of municipalities, including the prohibition of circulation in certain periods or days of the week.
In the last public interventions, António Costa already admitted that the The government can relax the restriction regime to apply during the Christmas period, but not in the New Year.
Given this perspective, the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, in his communication to the country that he made on Friday night, in which he announced the renewal of the state of emergency until December 23, said that he hoped that the “possible exception “in Natal to the framework of the restrictions to contain the covid-19” to be well understood and well lived “and not to cause” a subsequent lack of control, with a very high cost “.
“The idea is, therefore, not to endanger the Christmas spirit, but without concentrating on a single moment, and with greater respect for the rules that can prevent widespread family infections,” said Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.
Both the President of the Republic and the Prime Minister have registered less negative developments in terms of new COVID-19 cases since the first state of emergency was declared in early November.
At the end of the last meeting at Infarmed, in Lisbon, with the presence of the President of the Republic, representatives of the parties, and after a series of interventions by experts, António Costa concluded that “it was clear that the measures adopted have been producing results” , but stressed that “it is not yet possible to alleviate them”, warning that the beginning of January is a period of risk in terms of an eventual increase in infections.
As everyone anticipates, necessarily in early January and February we will have greater risks, either due to temperature problems, either around Christmas time, or due to the confluence with other diseases, such as the flu. Therefore, we are on the right path, but it is necessary to continue on this path so that we can control and consolidate this situation ”, he said.
On the same occasion, the executive president defended the existence of a deadline until January 7 for combat measures COVID-19, including Christmas and New Year’s Eve periods.
At this point, António Costa pointed out that technically, from a legal point of view, the state of emergency is only valid for 15 days.
“Every 15 days a new initiative from the President of the Republic, a new government opinion and a new authorization from the Assembly of the Republic are necessary, but it is essential that people know how they can organize themselves from January 6 to 7. Technically it is this situation has been resolved ”, justified the Prime Minister.
“The basic idea is a Christmas with fewer restrictions”
Bernardo Ferrão explains that in the first conversations that took place, the Prime Minister “I’d have the initial idea that there could be four days off” that is, more free movement between municipalities between December 23 and 26, however, and after Thursday’s meeting at Infarmed, António Costa “You may have realized that this was a bit of a risky idea.”.
“It is possible that the period has been shortened and tomorrow [sábado] It can be announced that this relief for the Christmas measures will only be between 24 and 25 (…) but with a limited number of people in the houses of the Portuguese ”.
The idea of the Government is “a Christmas with fewer restrictions” so that “can you respect the spirit of Christmas”, as Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said.
Another hypothesis on the table is a “Longer curfew, that is, until later”, says Bernardo Ferrão, “so that people can go to Missa do Galo”.
