The Left Block coordinator, Catarina Martins, rebelled against the intention of the EDP general meeting to distribute 700 million euros in dividends to shareholders, stressing that this is equivalent to ten years of the social energy tariff provided by the company. “It does not make sense to continue the distribution of millionaire dividends in large companies and to prevent social support for families that have lost income”, said, after leaving the fourth presentation session “Epidemiological Situation of Covid-19 in Portugal”, held this Wednesday in the Infarmed.
Defending that the State of Emergency should serve to impose “measures of economic wisdom that protect those who are most vulnerable”, Catarina Martins admitted that, as was advanced by the President of the Republic and the Prime Minister, restrictions on circulation and economic activity necessary to halt the progression of the pandemic will continue for some time. But he made it clear that Bloco de Esquerda does not see advantages in which they persist much longer and noted that “we cannot pretend that the containment measures are something abstract”, since they “strongly penalize the earnings of those who work and, according to all studies, of those with lower salaries ”, so it is necessary to broaden the social and economic response of the State.
On the other hand, the leader of the blockade suggested the requisition of hospitals and clinics that are closed to support the homes where there are about 100 thousand Portuguese and that have been the focus of contagion by the coronavirus.
Before her, the deputy general secretary of the PS, José Luís Carneiro, spoke, who stressed having “the firm conviction that“ the light at the end of the tunnel will be able to stay alive ”if the data that was communicated to the decision makers remain throughout the April, allowing in May “to gradually resume some social and economic activities”.
Representing the PSD, Congressman Ricardo Baptista Leite stressed that the Social Democrats consider it very important that the lifting of the quarantine and phased return of economic activity should be done “as soon as possible but without compromising public health principles”. Something that will go through the data presented in the next epidemiological information session, scheduled for April 28, in which it will be possible to conclude whether the return to the face-to-face classes of students of the 11th and 12th years will be feasible in the following month.
Moving away from the controversy surrounding the letter sent to PSD activists by Rui Rio (who participated in this Wednesday’s session by videoconference) in which he pointed out a lack of patriotism and ethics to those who attacked António Costa’s response to the pandemic , Ricardo Baptista Leite chose to pay tribute to “the mayors who have been at the forefront”, mentioning the social democratic vice president Salvador Malheiro, who is mayor of Ovar, as one of the “true leaders who have demonstrated their ability to anticipation ”regarding the problems experienced by its residents.
For the PCP, the communist leader Jorge Pires praised the control of the pandemic, “with a tendency to decrease”, due to the “very mature way” as the Portuguese acceded to the indications of the health authorities. But he put emphasis on the necessary economic recovery, citing a study that points to increased anxiety among the Portuguese who were affected by the economic impact of the measures taken by the Government. And in addition to reaffirming the “distancing of the PCP in relation to the State of Emergency”, he left a guarantee, in reference to solutions for screening infected people by electronic means in other countries: “” We reject any accompanying measure that jeopardizes the individual freedoms of according to what the Constitution enshrines. ”
CDS-PP supports “digital applications” for screening and detection of infected
For his part, the president of the CDS-PP, Francisco Rodrigues dos Santos, stressed the “very negative and worrying factor” that exists in the risks of a prolonged paralysis of the economy, which jeopardizes the survival of companies and the maintenance of jobs . Appealing to bet on serological tests, the centrist leader suggested that Portugal adopt the German solution of issuing immunity certificates so that workers “can resume their professional activity and help the country to recover”.
Also recommended by Francisco Rodrigues dos Santos was “the development of digital applications that make it possible to make security and privacy compatible with transparent control and legal compliance mechanisms that can give greater strength to surveillance systems and can activate tracking and detection mechanisms” .
In a “pinprick” to the PSD, the centrist leader said that he “does not want to believe” that a party that voted counts the CDS-PP’s proposal to extend the use of the simplified lay-off to the managing partners of companies “now want to present, wholesale way, that same proposal ”. “When you wear the statesman costume, you can’t forget the tie in the closet,” he said.
The PAN spokesman – People, Animals, Nature admitted that the available data do not yet allow the lifting of the restriction measures, but said that they point out that “in a few days or weeks the country will be confronted with the date when it will be able to gradually reserve to normality ”. Something that should happen when the pandemic’s progression indicators “are much lower than they are now”.
For the PAN, it will be necessary to have contingency plans in all companies and entities in order to deal with new outbreaks and new contagions. “We have the unheard-of example of households, in which plans were poorly designed or misapplied,” he said, also calling for an “effective and robust surveillance system”, something he considered hampered by the small number of public health specialists.
ENP deputy Mariana Silva said it was important that “workers’ rights should not be trampled”, saying that her party advocates a phased lifting of containment measures that takes into account the provision of protective equipment and materials for workers and students .
Arrives and Liberal Initiative at odds over “South Korean surveillance”
André Ventura said that “two important aspects” became clear, the first being what the only deputy from Chega considers to be the “manifest will” for the Government to wait for what happens in other countries, which may delay the lifting of the containment measures. “It can take a long time to have an assessment of what is done in other countries,” he said.
Ventura also pointed out that the level of immunization is very low, which could result in a new wave of epidemic, “which could make the situation even more unsustainable”, and defended the use of new technologies to fight the coronavirus, as is the case in Korea and other countries, within the Portuguese legal framework and with the intervention of the Ombudsman.
“It is urgent and fundamental that the Government implements and sets in motion a support plan for restoration, hotels and tourism, which will probably have its most disastrous period in the space of 100 years of activity”, defended the deputy of Chega, advancing that he will not oppose the renewal of the State of Emergency although he does not vote in favor as long as it includes the release of prisoners, “some of whom are dangerous”. And he again criticized the “terrible example” of having a face-to-face session of April 25 in the Assembly of the Republic, ensuring that his position is not ideological.
Finally, the president of the Liberal Initiative, João Cotrim Figueiredo criticized the “artificial unanimity and lack of scrutiny of the media” in relation to the Government’s performance, saying that it does not help in combating the Covid-19 pandemic. “It just means that there is not enough debate about what is going on,” he said, appealing to the “critical sense” of the Portuguese.
Noting that there is no confidence in the data provided and a test program that will allow economic activity to resume, the deputy stressed that a system of screening and surveillance “as it should be” is missing, saying he was scared by the reference by the President of the Republic to more an extension of the State of Emergency, until mid-May. “An attempt to exchange individual rights and freedoms for surveillance systems for which there are alternatives that do not harm people’s privacy and freedom will not go unnoticed,” said Cotrim Figueiredo, admitting that details about the issues were not discussed in the Infarmed session. technologic solutions.
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