"The expectation of returning to normality will always have to be tempered until the discovery of the vaccine by measures of restraint, containment and prevention that we cannot, as far as we know, completely eliminate", said Marta Temido.

At the daily press conference to update information on the covid-19 pandemic, the minister acknowledged that the forecasts for the future are marked by great uncertainty, but added that Portugal will continue to follow international recommendations.

Referring to the statements by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, on the hypothesis of limiting the contact of older people with their surroundings, at least until the end of the year, the Minister of Health stated that if, upon arrival the time, this is the most appropriate recommendation, then it will be followed by the Portuguese health authorities.

In an interview with the German newspaper Bild, Leyen warned that until there is a vaccine “it is necessary to limit, as much as possible, the contacts of seniors”, in particular those who live in nursing homes.

“It is evident that we live in a global context, what the situation of a European country is influencing others and, therefore, we are far from having overcome this pandemic”, acknowledged Marta Temido, adding that the priority is “to follow the best at every moment recommendations and the best information available ”.

Looking at the action of the Government and the Portuguese health authorities so far, the minister considered that the preparation for the pandemic was adequate, reinforcing that at this moment one of the main concerns is to ensure that there are no failures, despite the context of global scarcity.

Marta Temido also stressed that the Government has tried to give a thoughtful answer that ensures, as much as possible, the balance between the value of life in society, the value of the functioning of the economy, without prejudice to the value of public health.

"We know that other countries that opted for very radical views, or to leave everything open or close everything, did not have such good results and had to make small corrections," he said, considering that constant epidemiological surveillance and the introduction of corrective measures and mitigating factors according to the current context are the best alternative.

The Health Minister warned, however, that the little knowledge that still exists about the new coronavirus and the disease implies that all the decisions that have been made and that will be made are associated with some level of risk.

The new coronavirus, responsible for the covid-19 pandemic, has already caused more than 109,000 deaths and infected almost 1.8 million people in 193 countries and territories.