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The head of government highlighted the increase in the number of people admitted to hospitals, including intensive care units, in relation to the first wave of the pandemic, as well as the increase in the number of deaths.
“Therefore, it is essential that we are all aware that, despite the successive measures that have been taken (…), we reached a state of emergency with a much more serious pandemic situation”The Prime Minister lamented.
Still speaking to the country, Costa said there has been “widespread compliance and civic behavior on the part of the Portuguese,” as in the last state of emergency. The next Council of Ministers will assess the need to prolong the state of emergency.
However, there has been “an excess of concentration on the exceptions and a devaluation of the rule,” he lamented. In the last week we have been watching a kind of contest to see where the exception is for not following the rule of staying at home ”.
“Thus, we are forced to eliminate any type of misunderstanding”, the Prime Minister began to declare, referring to “creativity in terms of schedules, aggressive promotion of the sale of non-essential goods and even calls from business associations for non-compliance. measures promulgated in a state of emergency ”.
The Government thus decided to enact the closing, from 1:00 p.m. on Saturday and until 8:00 a.m. on Sunday morning, and from 1:00 p.m. on Sunday and until 8:00 a.m. on Monday of all commercial or restaurant establishments, with the exception of establishments that previously practiced opening hours before 8 am (pharmacies, clinics and offices, food outlets with doors to the street up to 200 square meters and gas stations).
As for catering, from 1:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday it can only work for home deliveries. “The rule is everything closed”, said the head of Government.
António Costa also announced that there will be 20% support for loss of restaurant income on both weekends compared to the average of the previous 44 weekends (January to October 2020).
According to the head of government, this extraordinary support for restoration “is not only cumulative with support granted at the municipal level, but also cumulative with others granted by the State in the field of support for recovery and the package announced last week.”
The official stressed that, although the pandemic situation is more serious today, the measures that have been applied “are less intense” and above all “concentrated on the weekend”, in order to guarantee the continuity of the school year and the disrupt both economic activity.
State of emergency measures now cover 191 counties
The Council of Ministers also decided that, Of the 121 municipalities currently covered by the state of emergency, seven will no longer be from 00:00 hours on Friday: Moimenta da Beira, Tabuaço, São João da Pesqueira, Mesão Frio, Pinhel, Tondela and Batalha.
On the other hand, 77 municipalities in the country began to be covered by these measures as of midnight on Monday. In this way, 191 counties in this situation move throughout the country.
The new municipalities are Manteigas, Freixo de Espada à Cinta, Figueira de Castelo Rodrigo, Coruche, Seia, Proença-a-Nova, Monforte, Vieira do Minho, Mealhada, Celorico da Beira, Castro Daire, Arronches, Nelas, Vila Nova de Foz Côa, Mora, Torre de Moncorvo, Mêda, Mangualde, Salvaterra de Magos, Pampilhosa da Serra, Ourém, Vila do Bispo, Penela, Miranda do Douro, Albergaria-a-Velha, Águeda, Oliveira do Bairro, Arganil, Grândola, Resende, Mira, Ílhavo, Abrantes, Boticas, Coimbra, Almeida, Cantanhede, Almeirim, Ferreira do Alentejo, São Pedro do Sul, Estarreja, Faro, Cuba, Mirandela, Campo Maior, Miranda do Corvo, Alcanena, Ponte de Sor, Condeixa-a- Nova, Arcos de Valdevez, Montalegre, Montemor-o-Velho, Crato, Viseu, Reguengos de Monsaraz, Vagos, Penalva do Castelo, Sousel, Évora, Penamacor, Murtosa, Lamego, Vila Real de Santo António, Albufeira, Carrazeda de Ansiães, Elvas, Vila Nova de Paiva, Alvaiázere, Tábua, Portalegre, Portimão, Ansião, Tavira, Lagos, Aljustrel, Anadia and Sátão.
António Costa also announced that The government extended the new measures, both in a state of disaster and in a state of emergency, until 11:59 p.m. on November 23, so that it can “align the set of measures that are in force throughout the country” with the measures that are in force in these 191 municipalities, now having “all with the same calendar.”
Government wants to apply “differentiated measures” in the most affected municipalities
The Prime Minister also defended that there should be a differentiation of the measures applied in the municipalities with the highest incidence rate of Covid-19 if the state of emergency continues from November 24.
“In the next Council of Ministers we will naturally have the opportunity to appreciate, if that is the intention of the President of the Republic, the need to prolong the state of emergency”declared the Prime Minister.
At that time, according to António Costa, without reducing the intensity of the measures, the Government believes that “a differentiation of measures” should be introduced in the set of municipalities most affected by the pandemic.
As the criterion is the set of new cases that exceed 240 people per 100,000 inhabitants in the last 14 days, the truth is that the reality is very different in the group of the 191 current municipalities in these circumstances. We have municipalities that are just over 242, but we also have a municipality, which has the highest incidence rate, which has 3,698 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the last 14 days ”, justified the Executive leader.
António Costa added that “It is necessary to adapt and adjust the measures to the specific gravity of the situation in these different municipalities”.
“And, therefore, the Minister of Health was asked [Marta Temido] that through the General Directorate of Health they propose a staggering of the different degree of measures that must be adopted in all these municipalities as of November 24 ”, he said.
