This information was shared through a note on the official website of the Presidency of the Republic.

"Following the broadly favourable vote of the Assembly of the Republic this afternoon, the President of the Republic has signed the Decree that renews the State of Emergency until April 15," reads the note.

The President of the Republic announced on Monday that he would make a statement to the country after this renewal of the state of emergency, which is scheduled for 20:00 today.

This is the 14th diploma of the state of emergency - which allows the suspension of the exercise of some rights, freedoms and guarantees - from the head of state to allow measures to contain covid-19.

The current state of emergency period ends at 23:59 on the next Wednesday, March 31. This renewal will take effect between 00:00 on April 1st and 23:59 on April 15th.

Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa spoke to the country whenever he enacted this legal framework, except in the period between the announcement of his re-election and his re-election as President of the Republic - between December 7 and January 24 - and in the last renewal of the state of emergency, on March 11, which coincided with the time of the presentation of the Government's easing of lockdown plans and his visit to the Vatican.

On Monday, while visiting a school in Lisbon, the President of the Republic considered it very likely that the state of emergency would last until May.

"If there is a plan of deflation until May, it means that there are activities partially confined until May. And, therefore, it is very likely that there will be a state of emergency to accompany this reality, because the state of emergency legitimises what, to a greater or lesser extent, the restrictions in the life of the Portuguese people will be", he justified.

The new state of emergency decree is practically identical to the previous one, with two additions to the rules on price control measures and combating speculation or hoarding, to specify that they can apply "to tests on SARS-Cov-2 and other medical-sanitary material ", and on the processing of personal data, authorising them" to the extent strictly necessary for the establishment of contacts for vaccination ".

Under the terms of the Constitution, it is incumbent on the President of the Republic to decree a state of emergency, for a maximum period of 15 days, without prejudice to possible renewals, but for that he must listen to the Government and have authorisation from the parliament.

In view of the worsening of the spread of covid-19 in Portugal earlier this year, the Government has imposed, under the state of emergency, a general duty of home collection and has suspended a number of activities since 15 January.

The Government's plan for easing lockdown foresees new phases of reopening on 05, 19 April and 3 May, but the measures can be revised if Portugal exceeds the 120 new daily cases of infection with the new coronavirus per 100 thousand inhabitants in 14 days or , also, if the transmissibility index (Rt) of the SARS-CoV-2 virus exceeds 1.

The movement between municipalities for the general population will remain prohibited on weekends and Easter week, between March 26 and April 5, and the duty of home collection will also apply until Easter.