The President of the Republic decides today, with the opinion of the Government, on the extension of the state of emergency for a new period of 15 days, which in the afternoon will be debated and voted on in parliament.

Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa made it known last Friday that he intended to renew once again the state of emergency, which has prevailed in Portugal since March 19, arguing that you cannot “play in service” or “let your guard down” in combat to the spread of covid-19.

“My conviction has been formed – as you know, it is an initiative of the President of the Republic – regarding the renewal of the state of emergency,” he told reporters at the time. On Wednesday, after listening to the experts, he confirmed that “everything is heading” for that decision.

“But this renewal may mean that, in some facets, it means not reducing the April requirement, not in relation to the circulation of people, but pointing now to what will be the reality of May”, admitted the head of state, considering that the next month may already be “a transition” to a “progressive resumption of social and economic life”.

According to the Constitution, it is up to the President of the Republic to declare a state of emergency, but this decision depends on the hearing of the Government and the authorization of the parliament, and cannot be in force for more than 15 days, without prejudice to possible renewals with the same limit. temporal.

The current period of state of emergency is the second decreed by Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and ends at 23:59 this Friday, April 17th. If it is renewed for 15 days, it will remain in effect from April 18 until May 2.

PS, PSD, BE, CDS-PP and PAN voted in favor of the two requests for authorization from the President of the Republic to declare a state of emergency.

The first declaration of the state of emergency, a month ago, unprecedented in democracy, was approved by the parliament without votes against, with abstentions from PCP, ENP, Liberal Initiative and from the non-registered deputy Joacine Katar Moreira.

The renewal of the state of emergency, two weeks ago, had a vote against, by the sole deputy of the Liberal Initiative, João Cotrim de Figueiredo, and had abstentions from PCP, ENP, Chega and Joacine Katar Moreira.

As for the terms under which a third period of state of emergency will take place, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said last Friday that it was “too early to say what the final version” would be, but that he considered that it was not necessary to have “restrictions as restrictive as those of the Easter “, a time when families usually gather together.

The meeting of the Council of Ministers at which the proposal for a decree by the President of the Republic will be considered is scheduled for 09:30 today at Palácio da Ajuda, in Lisbon, and the debate in the Assembly of the Republic on the request for authorization to renew the state of emergency is scheduled for 15:30.

With the state of emergency decreed by the President of the Republic, the rights to travel and settle anywhere in the national territory, as well as international circulation, property and private economic initiative, workers’ rights, assembly and demonstration are partially suspended , freedom of worship in its collective dimension, freedom to teach and learn, protection of personal data and acts of resistance to authorities in execution of the rules adopted in this exception framework are prevented.

The Government, which is responsible for regulating the application of the state of emergency, imposed the suspension of a set of activities and the “mandatory confinement” for patients with covid-19 and infected with the new coronavirus, a “special duty of protection” for over 70 years old and people considered at risk, because they are immunosuppressed or have other pathologies, and a “general duty of home care” for the rest of the population.

Under the state of emergency, the executive has adopted a set of extraordinary and urgent measures to respond to the epidemiological situation of covid-19.