Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa again appealed to the Portuguese people to go out into the street to help commerce, restaurants and tourism, albeit with care, at this stage, which he equated to being like the first "five kilometres" of a race that is predicted to end in 2022.

"I will do my best to demonstrate to the Portuguese that it is not dangerous, but I understand that careful steps and small steps are being taken during this month of May," he said.

Asked if successive calls for people to leave home assume that there will be an increase in the number of cases of Covid-19 in this period that is no longer considered a problem, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa replied: "Here we are all learning by doing. All countries have learned by doing with this pandemic".

"No one was prepared for this pandemic, no country, nor does anyone know what it will be like if there is a second outbreak: when it is, how it is, in what way," he added.

According to the President of the Republic, "the first five kilometres went well" for Portugal, "there is no doubt that they went really well".

"In relation to the first part of the marathon, we were able to learn the lessons, we were able to decide and, above all, the Portuguese people were exceptional. This is recognised by everyone around the world, the ability they had and will have to understand what to do. And now what we must do is balance between the reopening of economic and social life and precautions from the point of view of health", he defended.