The President of the Republic said this Friday that the Portuguese have already supported the United Kingdom in difficult times when commenting on the British Government’s decision to exclude Portugal from the list of countries considered safe in relation to the covid-19 pandemic.

The United Kingdom, is our oldest ally, our relationship goes back many centuries and there is one thing that everyone knows: that in people’s lives, as in countries, sometimes they are at the top, sometimes they are in and when you’re on the bottom you need others. When you’re on top – or when you think you’re on top – sometimes you forget others” said Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.

“There is always an occasion – it is a problem to wait – when we need the help of those who, at a certain moment, thought that they would be, forever, down,” added the President of the Republic before attending the premiere of a play theater in Almada , in the district of Setúbal.

The President of the Republic commented on the exclusion of Portugal from the list of 59 countries and territories considered safe by the British Government , which means that passengers from Portugal will have to comply with the 14 quarantine days imposed by the Boris Johnson executive due to the covid pandemic. -19.

“In Portugal we have very different situations in terms of the pandemic – that is why there is a state of calamity, a state of contingency and a state of alert – that should not be treated in the same way, because they are different. And these realities different, from our point of view, means that whoever looks at Portugal from outside has to look at different realities “, defended Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.

The head of state added that “the Algarve has numbers that, compared to some numbers from foreign countries – not to be identifying one in particular -, are flattering for the Algarve “.

Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa also noted that Portugal did not establish any limitation or quarantine for those coming, or coming, from the United Kingdom, regardless of the numbers of the pandemic in the United Kingdom, being better or worse than the Portuguese numbers .

Asked about a possible change in the restrictions imposed by the British Government, the President of the Republic said that this is a “lesson in history”.

“I just say that this is a lesson in history. Our history has shown how sometimes the UK supported us when we were down, other times we supported the UK, even in complicated situations worldwide, when it was necessary to support. So there is no end to the story, there is no end to the story “, concluded Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa .