The President of the Republic advised against this Friday, December 4, "excessive expectations" regarding vaccination, referring that this process will take "several months", even for priority groups, and defended that "all the ease is wrong and all the prevention is imperative'.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa left this alert in a communication to the country, from the Belém Palace, in Lisbon, in which he announced the renewal of the state of emergency until 23 December, with the perspective of its extension until 7 January.
«What is known about vaccines, namely the first two awaiting approval from the European Medicines Agency (AEM) confirms what I said here on 20 November: their arrival to all Portuguese who want to receive them, without the exclusion of anyone , much less because of old ghettos, obeys calendars extended in time», he said.
The head of state stressed that "it is therefore a matter of several months, not days or weeks, even for the projected priority groups."
“It is good that this is made clear so that excessive expectations and, therefore, immediate disappointments are not created. Therefore, all the ease is wrong and all prevention is imperative, throughout December as in the start of 2021», he added.
The current state of emergency began on November 24th and ends at 23:59 on Tuesday, December 8th. This renewal takes effect from 00:00 on Wednesday, December 9th.
According to the Constitution, this legal framework that allows the suspension of the exercise of some rights, freedoms and guarantees, cannot last more than 15 days, without prejudice to any renewals with the same time limit.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said that «the period of renewal of the state of emergency decreed today ends on Christmas, on the night of the 23rd, advising – and this was the understanding of parties, the Government, the Assembly of the Republic – that it be drawn up already what is foreseen beyond the 23rd, that is, for a month, ending on the 7th of January 2021».
However, he noted that "it is not about failing to comply with the Constitution of the Portuguese Republic, which requires a maximum period of 15 days for a state of emergency and its renewals" and that, "before the 23rd there will be, as there must be and always have happened, initiative of the President of the Republic, hearing of the parties, opinion of the Government, authorization of the Assembly of the Republic and decree of the President of the Republic».
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