With no cases in Portugal, Marcelo asks for a cool head to deal with Omicron
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa asks for “serenity and a cool head” to deal with the new Covid-19 variant. Speaking in Angola, a country in southern Africa, the President of the Republic recalls that he knows little about the new variant, but it is necessary “but we must be on our guard.”
“We are attentive to what is being learned and for now little is known, but we have to be on our guard. There were variants of variants and the vast majority did not have the seriousness that was expected at the beginning, let’s wait and see,” he said.
The President of the Republic underlined that, as the prime minister said, “there are still no cases” of the new variant in Portugal, which is why “serenity, a cool head and common sense” are called for.
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“They will come into force in 48 hours as new measures to face the pandemic. Serenity, a cool head and common sense are what is required,” he said.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa reaffirmed that he does not regret the “important trip” to Angola, also because “I am meeting with the current president and future president of the CPLP”.
The measures to face the pandemic were “decided before” the trip, and come into force after the delegation arrives in Lisbon, which is scheduled to travel on Monday. The head of state again underlined that “the prime minister informed him and the president agreed” with the new rules to try to prevent the spread of the disease.
Prime Minister António Costa acknowledged this Sunday that the Omicron variant of the new coronavirus worries “the whole world” and indicated that it has not yet been detected in Portugal, but if it is, “appropriate measures will be withdrawn”.
António Costa, who, in an attempt to contain this variant, “the European Union has adopted a set of measures to restrict travel to a number of countries” and, in Portugal, from next week, “it becomes mandatory for testing in all flights from wherever you are”.