"The result of the test carried out by the Ricardo Jorge Institute was negative. The President of the Republic remains in isolation and awaits a confirmatory test", reads a note published on the Presidency of the Republic's website.

According to the same note, "pending the result, as well as the subsequent guidance from the health authorities, the President of the Republic will attend, by videoconference, this morning's meeting at Infarmed" on the epidemiological situation of Covid-19 in Portugal.

On 11 January, at around 10pm, the Presidency of the Republic announced that the Head of State had had a positive diagnostic test for the new coronavirus, but was asymptomatic, and cancelled his entire agenda for the coming days.

Two hours later, it was announced that Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa had already responded to the epidemiological enquiry and carried out a new diagnostic test, carried out by the National Institute of Medical Emergency (INEM), the result of which should be known within a few hours.