According to António Costa, in combating the spread of covid-19, over the past two months, the country "registered a positive evolution" in combating the pandemic.

António Costa was speaking at a press conference, at the end of the Council of Ministers, in the presentation of the Government's plan for the reopening of economic and social activity after the end of the state of emergency.

"We have listened to the team of scientists that have supported the General Directorate of Health, after we have listened to the social partners and all political parties with parliamentary representation and after having been able to inform the President of the Republic [Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa], the Council of Ministers has approved the plan for the transition from a state of emergency to a state of calamity ", declared the Prime Minister.

At the press conference, António Costa stressed that, related to the current reality of the country, the President of the Republic understood - and the Government supported - that there was no justification to renew the state of emergency again ".

"However, if there is no justification for renewing the state of emergency, it does not mean that the pandemic is over, that the risk is over, and that we can resume the normality of our life before March 2. The risk remains high, the pandemic remains active and, therefore, we must continue to actively prevent and combat the pandemic ", warned the Prime Minister.

Although there is no state of emergency, according to António Costa, the country "must maintain a high level of containment".

"The Government understood that it was time to go down a step in the level of containment, moving from the state of emergency to the state of calamity", he justified.