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Lisbon, Dec 05, 2020 (Lusa) – The Prime Minister today considered that the Portuguese have a “green way” to celebrate Christmas and the New Year, but warned that if the epidemiological situation worsens, the Government will not hesitate to “pull the brakes “hand”.
“I have to be frank and speak clearly and truthfully to the Portuguese: if things do not continue as they have been up to now, if things change radically, if we have an exponential growth of the epidemic again, we will have to put the hand brake on,” he declared António Costa.
At a press conference at the Ajuda National Palace, António Costa announced that the Government intends to ease restrictions during the Christmas and New Year period if the current trend to reduce the rate of transmissibility of the new coronavirus and reduce the increase in New cases of the infection remain for the next 15 days.
“I do not want to define a red line here and I want to insist that it is within our reach to have a green way, to continue complying with the regulations in the next fortnight in the same way that we have complied with it in the last 15 days,” he began referring to the leader of the executive.
In this sense, António Costa pointed out that the country enters today “in the second long weekend.”
“With a huge effort from all of us, we have limited freedom of movement and with a huge sacrifice from many, in particular from economic activities, we are making a great effort to contain the epidemic,” he said.
According to the prime minister, the set of measures adopted to combat covid-19 “shows that the epidemic has been contained.”
“Every day we have fewer cases and a controlled transmission risk rate, which is currently below 1%. Experience indicates that each time restrictions are increased, an epidemic can be contained, but also that in each case, the restrictions increase the risk of transmission of the epidemic. We must continue to handle this situation in a controlled manner ”, he defended.
António Costa later added that his hope “is that on the 18th he will be saying” that these 15 days were worth it and that the epidemiological situation in Portugal is better than on December 5. “
“And therefore, we will have a Christmas and a New Year with greater security. Nobody wants to put the handbrake and we have to avoid it. That is what we have to do for the next 15 days,” he insisted.
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