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In the hearings of these two days in Belém, the new rules for the renewal of the state of emergency and the criticisms of the parties to the restrictions imposed by the Government -This weekend and the next- dominated the conversations with the President of the Republic. The holding of the PCP Congress was another topic of conversations (at least from the right) with Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa. According to Expresso, the Head of State understood the concerns expressed by PSD and CDS, although Jerónimo de Sousa promises an exemplary fact. Marcelo, who had already spoken in public about the problem of “perception” that the congress could cause, would have indicated that it would be difficult to explain to the Portuguese that, just a week after a curfew came into effect throughout the country, he could occur. a party conclave with hundreds of people in Loures.
The president fears, according to reports from the meetings to Expresso, that the generalized idea that the communists benefit from a regime of exception will reappear and that this will make it difficult to transmit the government’s message and that there will be greater resistance from the population to accept stronger measures. .
Marcelo will also have recognized the impact of the curfew after 1 pm in high-risk municipalities of contagion by the new coronavirus, and has been discovering clues about what the new measures of the state of emergency may be for the next 15 days. One of them confirms what António Costa had already expressed: Government intention to divide the municipalities by risk of incidence of covid-19 with specific measures. As revealed by the parliamentary leader of the Greens (ENP), José Luís Ferreira, upon leaving Belém, the Executive is considering dividing the country’s municipalities into three levels of risk of covid-19.
The solution being evaluated involves the definition of three levels:
- minimum step, for municipalities between 240 and 480 cases per 100 thousand inhabitants in the last 14 days;
- medium support for municipalities between 480 cases and 960 cases per 100 thousand inhabitants in the last 14 days;
- maximum step for municipalities with more than 960 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the last 14 days.
Proportional measures in municipalities
In practical terms, this means that counties that are at the lowest level the least restrictive measures, which include limitation of circulation between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. every day of the week.
But also the possibility of measure temperature and perform diagnostic tests for SARS-CoV-2, for access to the workplace, health centers, hospitals or other institutions and the mobilization of Public Administration workers to carry out epidemiological surveys and follow-up of contacts, among other measures provided for in the state of emergency.
I or Intermediate level cover more restrictive measures for these municipalities such as the closure of major commercial areas, in order to curb the risk of contagion, according to party sources heard by Expresso.
Mandatory curfew from lunch at the highest level
No maximum step – attributed to municipalities with more than 960 cases of infections per 100,000 inhabitants – it would also be The mandatory curfew is scheduled from the lunch period until 5 am on the weekend, in addition to all the measures provided for in the previous levels. There are currently 20 of these municipalities, mainly in the northern region.
In view of the strong economic impact of the curfew for restoration, The Executive is evaluating the possibility of extending the restaurant’s operating period to the weekend in the regions of the highest step, during 15h or 16h. The scenario was raised by PAN spokesman André Silva, who explained that the goal was for restaurants to still be able to serve lunch before curfew. But it’s still not safe, in these high-risk counties, restaurants may even be forced to close at 1pm.
Higher education can bet on distance education
The Executive is also analyzing possibility of closing Universities and Polytechnic Institutes in municipalities of all levels, since the number of infections among young people in their 20s increases, as well as hospitalizations. Meetings outside the university environment also favor more infections, but with the suspension of face-to-face classes, the expectation is that contagions can be stopped.
The fact that distance education is also more practical in higher education also leads the Government to consider this hypothesis and refuse to close elementary and middle schools.
Before the Christmas holidays it is also advisable to know the measures for this season, from the first days of December, since More restrictions may be announced for the December 1-8 holidays., in a similar way to what happened in Holy Week and the feast of All Saints.
Until then, the Government wants to analyze the evolution of the pandemic and the impact of new state of emergency, which will take effect at 12:00 am next Monday and will end on December 8. But one thing is certain: Christmas will not be the same as in previous years. Both the President of the Republic and the Prime Minister have already warned that We need to find alternative ways to celebrate this season. with smaller groups.
Meeting at Infarmed this Thursday
The evolution of the pandemic and the framework of the measures to be adopted in the new state of emergency will be discussed this Thursday, at 10 a.m. at a new meeting at Infarmed, in Lisbon, which will bring together experts, parties, the Prime Minister and the Head of State.
But this does not mean going back to regular meetings with experts. The Government has already explained that they must be produced whenever it deems necessary. In response to the criticisms of the parties, the undersecretary general of the PS, José Luís Carneiro, admitted this Wednesday that the decisions taken by the Government in the field of the state of emergency must be supported by scientific evidence, thus justifying the meeting with the experts .
“Regarding the different levels [de risco de contágio em concelhos] to be established, the Government is in dialogue with research institutions and tomorrow this effort to listen to scientific entities will continue. Therefore, we will have to wait for the decision that the Government will make, ”said José Luís Carneiro.
But nevertheless, Parliament has already scheduled for Friday at 9 am the discussion and vote on the extension of the state of emergencyNext, it is up to the Council of Ministers to decide in the afternoon the framework of the measures to be adopted.
