Portugal extends state of emergency

Lisbon: Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa has extended the state of emergency introduced to combat the spread of Covid-19, until April 15 asking for people's "prudence" during the Easter holiday so that the de-confinement is "successful".

The extension of the state of emergency in Portugal was approved by Parliament on Thursday, following recommendations from health experts and negotiations with political parties and civil organisations, reports Xinhua news agency.

In an address to the nation, the President urged the Portuguese to be "sensible" in the coming days so that travels and Easter parties will not cause a further increase in Covid-19 cases, as it happened after the restrictions were relaxed during Christmas.

The period "is a time of intense family reunion", he said, warning that "family gatherings and reunions" need to be avoided for the "protection of life and health".

He said it is necessary to take "these steps so that the number of infected, intensive care and deaths, as well as the indicator of transmission and contagion, do not reverse the trend towards the cooling of the pandemic before the summer".

The President added that the "delay in the supply of vaccines, which required adjustments to the timetable drawn up at the end of 2020" could be overcome in April.