"Social distance, more personal protective equipment and a great care in the way it circulates inside the factories is what will become our new normal in the near future", he said.

Visiting the Continental Mabor tire factory, accompanied by the Prime Minister, Siza Vieira said that although the covid-19 pandemic "is far from being controlled", Portugal "will need to return to work and resume economic and social life.".

"We are going to enter the phase of transition to normality," said the Minister of Economy, stressing that the Government is supporting companies in this phase, both in terms of simplified lay-offs and access to credit.

Siza Vieira said that support is reaching companies very quickly.

"I think that all entrepreneurs will recognize that there have never been processes that simplified, extended and automatic for support," he said.