Press conference of the Council of Ministers on March 13, 2020

The Council of Ministers approved a set of extraordinary and urgent measures to respond to the epidemiological situation of the new coronavirus / Covid-19. The measures were presented at the press conference of the Council of Ministers, and attended by the Ministers of State, Economy and Digital Transition, Pedro Siza Vieira, State and Presidency, Mariana Vieira da Silva, Education, Tiago Brandão Rodrigues , Labor, Solidarity and Social Security, Ana Mendes Godinho, and Health, Marta Temido.

Minister Mariana Vieira da Silva underlined that "these edicts need participation and count on the participation of all Portuguese", because "without that participation they will not fulfill the objectives", adding that "there is no Council of Ministers that solves this problem, that will only be resolved by all of us. 

Minister Pedro Siza Vieira stressed that "we are facing a serious risk, and the best way to protect lives" is to comply with the rules.

Among these measures, we highlight the decision by the Ministers of Internal Affairs and Health to declare a state of alert throughout the country, putting the means of civil protection and security forces and services on standby.

National Health Service

The Council of Ministers took a set of measures to guarantee the readiness of the National Health Service, from the outset an exceptional regime in terms of human resources, which includes the suspension of overtime limits, the simplification of the hiring of workers, the mobility of workers, and hiring retired doctors without being subject to age limits.

Still within the scope of the SNS, a prevention regime was created for professionals in the health sector directly involved in the diagnosis and specialized laboratory response, an exceptional regime for the acquisition of services by organs, agencies, services and entities of the Ministry of Health, and an exceptional regime for the composition of medical boards for assessing the disabilities of people with disabilities, in order to release general practitioners.

Social protection for workers

The Council of Ministers also approved a set of measures to support the social protection of workers and their families.

Thus, the absences of employees and independent workers who have to stay at home to accompany their children up to 12 years of age are justified.

Exceptional financial support is created for employees who have to stay at home to accompany their children up to 12 years old, in the amount of 66% of the basic remuneration (33% paid by the employer, 33% paid by Social Security) .

For the self-employed, exceptional financial support is created for those who have to stay at home to accompany their children up to 12 years old, in the amount of 1/3 of the average salary, as well as extraordinary support for the reduction of the economic activity of self-employed and deferral of payment of contributions.

Extraordinary professional training support is created, in the amount of 50% of the worker's remuneration up to the limit of the National Minimum Wage, plus the cost of training, for the situations of workers not employed in productive activities for considerable periods, with the guarantee being given social protection of trainees and trainers in the course of training activities, as well as beneficiaries engaged in active employment policies who are prevented from attending training actions.

It is equated with the disease of the situation of prophylactic isolation for 14 days of employees and independent workers of the general social security regime, motivated by situations of serious risk to public health decreed by the entities that exercise the power of health authority . With this change, workers who are decreed, by the health authority, the need for prophylactic isolation will have ensured the payment of 100% of the reference remuneration during the respective period.

It was also decided that the granting of sickness benefits is not subject to a waiting period, and the granting of childcare and grandchildren benefits in case of prophylactic isolation without dependence on the guarantee period.

Support to companies

The Council of Ministers also approved a set of measures aimed at ensuring the mitigation of economic impacts, both in terms of supporting companies' treasury and protecting jobs.

Two lines of credit are created, one to support the treasury of companies for 200 million euros, and another for micro-enterprises in the tourism sector, in the amount of 60 million euros.

A simplified lay-off regime is created, with extraordinary support for the maintenance of employment contracts in companies in crisis situations, in the amount of 2/3 of the remuneration, ensuring Social Security the payment of 70% of this amount, with the remainder being borne by the employer. During the lay-off period, an exceptional and temporary regime for exemption from the payment of Social Security contributions by employers is created in the contributory scope.

Measures were also taken to speed up payments to companies by the Public Administration, and by Portugal 2020, which will practice the payment of incentives within 30 days, extend the repayment period for credits granted under the QREN or PT 2020, and will allow the eligibility of expenses incurred with canceled international events.

An extraordinary financial incentive is created to ensure the normalization of the activity, up to a minimum wage per worker.

The deadlines for payment of taxes and other declarative obligations are extended.

Public services

The Council of Ministers also decided to take measures for the organization and functioning of public services and other establishments, in particular the suspension of all classroom and non-teaching activities in schools at all levels of education as of Monday, the 16th of March.

In the organization of public services, digital services will be reinforced, and frequency limitations will be established to ensure the possibility of maintaining a safe distance. 

Public authorities will accept, for all legal purposes, the display of documents whose validity period expires during the period of validity of this decree-law or in the 15 days immediately before or after.

The Government further decided, as the Prime Minister had announced in his declaration , the restriction of the operation of nightclubs and the like, the prohibition of disembarkation of passengers from cruise ships, except for residents in Portugal, the suspension of visits to homes throughout the national territory, and frequency limitations in shopping centers and supermarkets to ensure the possibility of maintaining a safe distance.