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The new state of emergency is expected to last until Christmas Eve. The Prime Minister has already indicated that it will be more limited in its scope, but that it will probably be longer than the 15 days that the Constitution limits. According to António Costa, at the beginning, “it must be assumed that it is renewed periodically”, so, according to a source close to the process, he went to Jornal Economico, the Executive must proceed with at least two 15-day renewals, to cover holidays . December 1 and 8: dates on which new restrictions on movement between municipalities must be applied. However, the greater or lesser extent of the state of emergency will depend on the evolution of the pandemic in Portugal.
The President of the Republic has already indicated that he wants “stronger measures”, but warned that a state of emergency must wait for Parliament. Only after the authorization of the Assembly of the Republic, Marcelo will decree the new state of exception that will be “softer” than what the country experienced between March and May. The Government has already justified the most restrictive measures to save Christmas, however, without ruling out that the adoption of other measures such as curfews or general confinement (and not only in the highest risk counties) depends on the evolution of the pandemic in Portugal that This Monday Portugal registered another 2,506 cases and 46 deaths from Covid-19 in the last 24 hours.
Costa admitted today that it is a minimal state of emergency, mainly to give legal “robustness” to circulation restrictions and to be able to request private health services in the fight against the covid-19 pandemic. neither general confinement nor compulsory curfew, a measure that the Head of Government admits, however, can be taken later.
This will be the second time that Portugal will live in a state of emergency, from March 19 to May 2, in democracy, since 1976, decreed by the President of the Republic, after being authorized by parliament on March 18.
For the state of emergency to be decreed again, a plenary session will still have to be scheduled and the government will also have to meet again. However, everything can be done in time for it to take effect until the beginning of next week if it is not possible to declare a state of emergency already on Wednesday, November 4, when the measures already announced on Saturday by the prime minister.
The Assembly of the Republic, however, does not have a plenary session scheduled for the next few days, since it is in the budget process, with hearings of ministers scheduled for every day of the week. If the presidential decree reaches Parliament before Wednesday, it may still be debated until the end of this week and, in the worst case, it will take effect early next week.
The President of the Republic will have already made the decision. And he himself has already admitted the return to a state of exception, which allows the suspension of rights and take more restrictive measures such as curfews that have already been adopted in several European countries.
The four reasons why Costa asked Marcelo for a state of emergency
The Government presented this Monday to the President of the Republic a proposal for the decree of a new state of emergency in the country, due to the evolution of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Prime Minister, António Costa, considers this to be a fundamental instrument to “strengthen” the legal capacity to impose limitations and clarify the use of medical capacity in the private and social sectors.
“From the point of view of the Government, it is justified that, as a preventive measure, a State of Emergency is decreed, with a much more limited framework in its object, but which will probably have an extension greater than the 15 days that the Constitution limits. From the outset, we must assume that it will be renewed periodically, ”said António Costa, after leaving the meeting with Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, about the new measures to combat Covid-19.
The Prime Minister maintains that the state of emergency is “essentially preventive in nature” and should “remove legal doubts” on four issues: “strengthen legal capacity to impose restrictions on freedom of movement”; impose temperature control in access to public places or workplaces; “Clarify the possibility of using private medical care and the social sector”; and mobilizing human resources from the armed forces or public and private officials to “reinforce” the fight against the pandemic.
Regarding the mobilization of human resources from the armed forces or public and private officials, António Costa explained that the measure is “important” to “reinforce the extraordinary effort being made by the public health, family medicine and primary care teams, as well as in follow-up of positive and risk contacts, and follow-up of people in confinement.
“Obviously, these types of contacts will always have to be supervised by health professionals and obey the decisions that health professionals and authorities must make,” he said, adding that, as of Monday, the Government will proceed. rapid tests to stop the spread of Covid-19.
António Costa also said that he does not anticipate that “there will be a profound divergence in relation to these measures” from the different political parties, which will be heard this Monday by Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.
Marcelo listens to the parties
After a half-hour meeting with António Costa, who reported to the Head of State of the Council of Ministers on Saturday, Marcelo began receiving parties with a parliamentary seat on Monday, November 2. It started with the Liberal Initiative; at 11 am, and ended with the PS at 5:30 pm. The audience with the PSD was the one with the greatest anticipation – one hour – and it was held in videoconference.
The President of the Republic wants political support for the return to a state of emergency, having already indicated the support of the two elders, PS and PSD with Rui Rio, having already left the guarantee that his party will not be an obstacle to what is necessary for the country. ~
The PCP and the Liberal Initiative oppose this measure, although for different reasons. IL has already questioned the legality of several measures taken by the Government, warning of the absence of constitutional coverage without a state of emergency (such as the prohibition of circulation between municipalities, which led Marcelo to say that it was an “aggravated recommendation”. ), being frontal before a possible curfew.
The PCP, who has always been against it, considers that the measures should be taken within the framework of the Civil Protection Law and the Health Surveillance Law, and BE highlights the limitations of the declaration of the state of emergency.
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