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Was more determined suspension of school activities on the eve of a holiday on November 30 and December 7 and there will be a point of tolerance in the Public Service these days, to have “a month of December as calm as possible”, justified António Costa.
The leader announced that 17 municipalities will emerge from the list of risk municipalities in Portugal: Aljustrel, Alvaiázere, Beja, Borba, Caldas da Rainha, Carrazeda de Ansiães, Ferreira do Alentejo, Fornos de Algodres, Golegã, Santa Comba Dão, São Brás de Alportel, Sousel, Tábua, Tavira, Vila Real de Santo António, Vila Velha from Ródão and Vila Flor.
The “risk map” in Portugal, which meets the European criteria, it is now divided into four levels: “Extremely high risk”, in which there are now 47 municipalities; “Very high risk”, with 80 counties; “High risk”, with 86 counties and, finally, “moderate risk”, in which there are 65 counties.
In “high risk” counties, where there are more than 240 cases per 100,000 residents, The prohibition to circulate on public roads between 11:00 pm and 5:00 am will be maintained and the monitoring of telework compliance will be increased., which according to the Prime Minister is not being fulfilled in all places where it is mandatory.
“Where teleworking is mandatory, it will really be respected,” said the head of Government, adding that the Minister of Labor, Solidarity and Social Security, Ana Mendes Godinho, has already given authorization for “effective actions to verify compliance with this obligation. “. “.
In these municipalities the closure of commercial establishments until 10 p.m. and of restaurants and cultural facilities until 10.30 p.m..
For “very high and extremely high risk” counties, with more than 480 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, additional measures will be taken. On Saturdays, Sundays and holidays of December 1 and 8, circulation on public roads will be prohibited. and it is mandatory to close commercial establishments between 1:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m.
Also in these places, it will be compulsory to close the commercial establishments from 3 pm on the eve of a holiday (November 30 and December 7).
António Costa highlighted that the list is dynamic and will be reviewed every 15 days, in line with the review of the state of emergency. “In the coming months the measures to be adopted will be modeled so that they adjust as best as possible to the current reality of each municipality”He explained.
Later, when asked about a possible extension of the state of emergency in Portugal, the Prime Minister said that he would be “very surprised” if this state is not applied at Christmas, claiming that the content of the measures that are being adopted is less intense. , but with a greater temporal extension.
“I’d be very surprised if there hadn’t been an emergency at Christmas, because that means that the evolution of the fight against the epidemic would have been very fast, “he said.
Financial support measures
The general measures applicable to the entire national territory will be maintained, namely, the mandatory use of the mask on public roads and in a set of closed spaces. The novelty is that, from now on, the mask will also be mandatory in workplaces, except when workstations are isolated or when there is physical separation between different positions.
“Viruses are also transmitted at work and at work, the mask protects against the transmission of viruses,” António Costa explained.
The Prime Minister also announced economic support measures due to the state of emergency. The Apoiar.pt program, valued at 1,550 million euros, will be one of them, Loans of 750 million euros and 160 million euros are non-repayable..
Other measures of economic support will be immediate access to Progressive Recovery Support, as well as the deferral of payments to Social Security and quarterly VAT.
Support for restoration will be maintained in all municipalities where activity restrictions are maintained, that is, in those with more than 240 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. Next week there will be a reduction in commercial rents.
The measures were announced by the Prime Minister at the end of the extraordinary meeting of the Council of Ministers. António Costa began his speech with a thank you to all the Portuguese for the effort they are making one more weekend, “sacrificing their freedom”, also recalling all those whom the measures are hurting financially, namely those working in the catering and commercial sectors.
Incidence rate “extremely worrying”
The leader stressed that the number of new Covid-19 cases in the country remains “extremely worrying”although, week after week since mid-October, there was a consecutive decline.
However, these results are still insufficient. We still have a lot to work on to achieve the desired result ”, he warned.
António Costa stressed that we have to persevere to reverse the growth of new cases and “crush this extremely high incidence rate” and what it represents “a threat to everyone’s health, to the functioning of the NHS and it is a very difficult challenge for all health professionals who are doing everything possible to cure patients who are already infected ”.
At the end of the speech, already in response to journalists, the Prime Minister rejected the dichotomy between opening the economy and fighting the Covid-19 epidemic and stated that His government is united around a vision of balance on the measures to be taken.
Asked about the clash of opinions between defenders of the primacy of the economy and sectors that want an absolute priority to combat the health crisis, the executive leader replied: “There is no such dichotomy.”
“The law is clear”
António Costa was also asked about the PCP congress that will gather 600 people next weekend in Loures, in a state of emergency.
Showing a sheet with the state of emergency law, “from September 30, 1986, a very old law that has remained unchanged,” the Prime Minister considered that “the law is clear and exhaustive” since “in no case will the meetings of the statutory bodies of political parties, unions and professional associations be prohibited, dissolved or submitted to prior authorization “.
“It is not up to the Prime Minister to comment on the decisions of the different political parties. The Prime Minister is simply responsible for respecting the functioning of the different political parties and the choices they make,” he replied.
The authorization in the parliament to extend the state of emergency until December 8 counted with votes against the PCP, PEV, Chega, Liberal Initiative and the unregistered deputy Joacine Katar Moreira, while BE, CDS-PP and PAN were they abstained.
