Covid-19: Marcelo expects «new phase of transition from pandemic to endemic»

President of the Republic pointed out that there has been “a progressive and sustained decrease in the number of cases”

Photos: Nuno Costa | Sul Informação

The President of the Republic said today that Wednesday's meeting at Infarmed precedes an already expected "reduction of restrictions" that "represents a new phase in terms of the transition from the pandemic to the endemic".

Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa was speaking to journalists by the Tagus River, in Belém, with the Mayor of Lisbon Carlos Moedas, by his side, after having inaugurated with Slovenian President Borut Pahor, a bank alluding to the friendship between Portugal and Slovenia. .

Asked about the meeting convened by the Prime Minister, António Costa, for Wednesday at Infarmed, in Lisbon, with experts and policymakers on covid-19 in Portugal, the head of state replied that “the idea is really to make the point. of the situation'.

Regarding the decisions that the Government will take, the President of the Republic said that “some of the measures are already known”, without giving examples, and considered that, “in fact, there is nothing really new”.

“It is not about announcing anything very, very new, but it represents a new phase in terms of the transition from the pandemic to the endemic”, he said.

According to Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, it is expected that the executive will decide «what has been made public in terms of measures, reduction of restrictions».

“It has already been announced, gradually, to prepare public opinion. It must correspond to the assessment, I think, that the specialists will make of the health situation. But there's nothing like listening to experts about the situation you're in,” he said.

As for the situation of covid-19 in Portugal, the President of the Republic pointed out that there has been “a progressive and sustained decrease in the number of cases” and also “a decrease in the number of hospitalizations, namely in intensive care, and in the number of deaths. ».

“So, everything is moving in the same direction. We will listen and then naturally there is the formalization by the Government - in this case it is still the Government in office, before the new Government takes office, I think that is the idea, it is still the Government that presided over the management of the pandemic crisis entering this phase anticipating what is then the action of the future Government to take office», he added.

Regarding the inauguration of the Government, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa admitted that there will probably still be some "sanitary restrictions" in that ceremony and reiterated that "in principle the date" fixed, 23 February, is maintained, but he noted that "we must wait for the previous steps" » until the publication of the official map of the legislative results.

As for the composition of the new governing cast, he declined to comment, stating only that “the President of the Republic in this matter respects the Prime Minister's initiative”.

 



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