Portugal Plans to Extend State of Emergency for Two More Weeks

(Bloomberg) -- The Portuguese government backs President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa’s proposal to extend the state of emergency for another 15 days to help limit the coronavirus outbreak, Prime Minister Antonio Costa said.

The state of emergency was initially declared on March 18 and the slower growth in the number of confirmed cases in Portugal is owed to the “big effort of containment” that people have made, Costa said. April is the “decisive month” to control the pandemic, which has led the government to limit movement and close some businesses, the premier said.

“The best way for the state of emergency to last as less time as possible is to now have the greatest intensity in being self-disciplined and in complying with the rules of containment,” Costa said on Wednesday at a press conference in Lisbon. “If we make a big effort in these next few weeks, we’ll start seeing the light at the end of the tunnel sooner.”

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Portugal rose 11% to 8,251, the government said on Wednesday, slower than a 16% increase on Tuesday. The total number of deaths increased to 187 on Wednesday from 160 reported through Tuesday morning.

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