Portugal Situation Report Wednesday 31st March 2021
Introduction
Good morning – Let’s start with three pieces of good news.
The first of these were that yesterday Portugal recorded the lowest number of deaths from Covid-19 (two cases) since 6th September 2020. Two deaths too many of course. Figures continue to fall with the numbers in hospital the lowest since 23rd September and ICU 12th October. This reduces the considerable strain on the health services with active cases reducing by over 150,000 in just 8 weeks.
Secondly, that the German laboratory BioNTech announced yesterday that it plans to manufacture this year up to 2.5 billion doses of its vaccine developed with the American company Pfizer, 25% more than the one initially announced, as well as the authorization to withdraw six doses from a bottle, the company explained in a statement. This should make a considerable difference
The third piece of good news concerns crime. Violent and serious crime had a reduction of more than 13% during the year 2020, the Minister of Internal Administration, Eduardo Cabrita, announced yesterday and the crime of domestic violence, so common in Portugal, saw a 6% reduction in 2020, compared to 2019.
In the last few days there have been plenty of developments concerning the extension of the current State of Emergency measures until 23.59 hrs 5th April as well as air travel laws.
We emphasise concerning the State of Emergency – this is a simple extension taking effect with the same measures that are currently in place effective midnight tonight 31st March/1st April 2021.
However, having posted this we received in the region of around 200 questions concerning the existing laws which have been published over two weeks ago. The answers to many of these questions have been available since then through our website page here which contains the various measures in English.
Questions we received included: “Is the curfew still in place at 1pm on weekends?” Our reply “No it was last in place 2 months ago”!
This is of some concern as it may indicate that either some people are not keeping up to date with essential information, which affects daily activities, or they have been reading information from social media which is incorrect – there is much misinformation around. A cursory glance at news headliners or “one liners” on social media every other day or so, is not sufficient. We would encourage people to take more time in reading, in order to obtain a fuller understanding of the situation, so when government decisions and changes are made it is easier the understand the reasons and context.
Also, I wish to emphasise that, although we do our best to answer your questions regarding individual circumstances this is not always possible. We do not make the laws so generally the information available to us, does not go beyond what is contained in the laws themselves.
There were also several questions we received regarding vacations and travelling to Portugal at this time and asking whether or not they should travel. We cannot give an opinion on this only relay the facts. However, it is important to understand that any overseas travel involves a high degree of risk at present. Not necessarily the risk of catching Covid-19, but the fact that the situation can change any time. Each country is monitoring their own situation closely and clearly should the situation change for the worse, and in order to protect its own citizens, the country concerned may introduce greater restrictions. These can range from travel bans, the requirement for negative testing and/or entering into quarantine on arrival. So if you book a holiday or travel for any other reason, then do it on the understanding that it may well have to change.
As I mentioned in my last comment on Saturday, we act almost as a bridge between the little information that is available on the Government Estamos On site and the Decrees themselves, a situation more complicated by the fact that our volunteers provide this in English.
It is important therefore that everyone keeps up to date with the information by visiting our website. This is of particular importance over the next two days or so as government meets tomorrow to finalise the next stage of the de-confinement plan.
Lastly, I wish to emphasise the warning given by DGS concerning poor air quality which has occurred on the mainland starting Sunday. This situation is due to the intrusion of a mass of air coming from the deserts of North Africa. This pollutant (inhalable particles – PM10) has effects on human health, mainly in the most sensitive population, namely in children and the elderly, whose health care must be redoubled during the occurrence of these situations. We published this twice on Monday night when the warning was issued and again on Tuesday morning.
We thank all those 208 of you who shared this important safety information reaching so far over 35,000.
The prompt sharing of information when there is a threat to health and public safety is essential in order to get key official messages and advice across. It is in everyone’s interests, so please help others by doing so. This is where social media plays a vital role.
With that please have a Safe Day.
Headlines
Costa among world leaders who want an international treaty to combat future pandemics
“Together, we must be prepared to predict, prevent, detect, evaluate and respond effectively to pandemics in a coordinated manner”, reads the document signed by several world leaders, including the Portuguese Prime Minister
World leaders called for the cooperation of the “international community” in the framework of a new international treaty to prepare for and respond to future pandemics, in a document published this Tuesday in several newspapers and also released by the World Health Organization (WHO).
For the more than 20 signatories, including Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa, the new treaty may signal “high-level political measures” needed to protect the world from future health crises.
“There will be other pandemics and other major health emergencies. No government or official departments can face this threat alone,” say world political leaders, mostly heads of state and government.
“Together, we must be prepared to predict, prevent, detect, assess and respond effectively to pandemics in a coordinated manner. The Covid-19 pandemic has shown severely that no one is safe until everyone is safe,” adds the document.
“We will have other pandemics and other major health emergencies. The question is not whether, but when”
“Today, we continue with the same hope that if we fight together to overcome the Covid-19 pandemic, we will be able to build a more robust international health architecture that will protect future generations,” argue world leaders.
Covid-19 DGS Situation Report
On Tuesday Portugal reported two deaths and 388 new cases of Covid-19, according to the daily report of the Directorate-General for Health (DGS). Daily figures compared to the previous day were as follows:
Confirmed Cases: 821,104 (+ 388 / + 0.04 %)
Number of admitted: 584 (-39 /- 6.16 %)
Number of ICU admitted: 129 (-6 /-5.1 %)
Deaths: 16,845 (+ 2 / + 0.01 %)
Recovered: 777,503 (+ 1654 / +0.2 %)
Active cases: 26,756 (-1268 /4.5%)
Safe Communities comparisons/trends showed that deaths were lowest since 6th September 2020; new cases – 4th lowest since 7th September 2020; recoveries were more than 4 times new cases and active cases were the lowest since 3rd October, decreasing 154,867 cases since 31st January 2021
Those in hospital were the second lowest since 2nd September and 6285 less compared to number in hospital 1st Feb and those in ICU lowest since 12th October 2020
Covid-19: MAI says there has been a “significant reduction in circulation” since Friday
The Minister of Internal Affairs said yesterday that there has been a “significant reduction in the circulation” of cars since Friday and “generalized compliance” with the rules of the State of Emergency due to the pandemic.
“Since Friday, there has been a significant reduction in circulation and general compliance by citizens with what are the rules resulting from the period of State of Emergency”, said Eduardo Cabrita, at the press conference presenting the general data of the 2020 Annual Homeland Security Report (ISAR).
The minister was asked about the restrictive measures during this Easter period, namely the ban on movement between municipalities since Friday and until April 5th.
The government official reiterated the importance of complying with the measures in order for the de-confinement plan to be carried out.
“Today we have the lowest contagion results in the entire European Union, which proves that the measures adopted in the past two months are producing good results, which translate into easing the pressure on the National Health Service, but we must continue and consolidate these results and it is up to everyone that next week is marked by compliance” he said.
In Portugal, 16,845 people died from 821,104 confirmed cases of infection, according to the most recent bulletin from the Directorate-General for Health.
Portugal is in a State of Emergency until April 15.
Teleworking
Telework until the end of the year, but the rules change.
Over the next few weeks, the government plans to keep everything as it is, but the parties want to regulate remote work and BE and PCP have already presented proposals in parliament.
Teleworking will remain mandatory until the end of this year, but the rules for this mandatory work may vary over time. Without a State of Emergency, or others that overlap, teleworking is imposed only in areas of the country that are defined by the government according to the epidemiological risk, employers are called upon to justify cases where functions are incompatible with telework and also changes the universe of the excluded from the possibility of remote functions.
Last Thursday, the government extended until the end of 2021 the validity of the legislation that, since November last year, imposed a time lag in workplaces with a minimum of 50 workers and mandatory teleworking, whenever possible, in high-risk counties according to the incidence of cases of infections with the new coronavirus.
This exceptional and transitional regime for reorganizing work and minimizing the risk of transmitting the infection of the Covid-19 disease, within the scope of labour relations, was the one that was in force until January, but this overlapped the State of Emergency, which generalized the rules of telecommuting and reorganization of schedules throughout the country and to employers of all sizes.
Prison guards
Covid-19: All prison guards in the country are vaccinated.
Lisbon, 30 March 2021 (Lusa) – All prison guards on the mainland of Portugal have already been vaccinated against 
the Covid-19, for a total of 8,800 vaccines applied in prison services, the Minister of Justice announced today.
“The vaccination process underway in the area of Justice, namely in prison services, is going very well. At the moment there are already about 8,800 vaccines applied, which means that, at country-level, prison guards are all vaccinated, there are 4,000 people who have already taken a second dose, ”Francisca Van Dunem told reporters.
The minister was asked about the vaccination process against Covid-19 in the justice area at the press conference to present the general data of the 2020 Annual Internal Security Report (RASI).
Francisca Van Dunem also said that, in the prison system, “all non-credible citizens are already vaccinated and now a second phase has started for inmates with health problems”.
Also present at the press conference, the Minister of Internal Administration took stock of vaccination in the area of internal security.
Eduardo Cabrita said that 16,000 firefighters and 20,000 members of the security forces were vaccinated against the Covid-19, 10,000 in the GNR and 10,000 in the PSP.
The minister stressed that the priorities defined were associated “exactly with the operational dimension”, having given priority to “those who are on the street” and have “a role as a patrolman or guarantor of the verification of compliance with the rules on the State of Emergency”.
Covid-19: Police feel “exhausted” one year after successive inspections.
Lisbon, March 30, 2021 (Lusa) – The Association of Police Professionals (ASPP / PSP) warned today of the situation in which the policemen who monitor the rules of the State of Emergency find themselves, saying that they feel “exhausted” and “mistreated ”.
Speaking to Lusa news agency, ASPP president Paulo Santos said that in recent times several complaints have been coming to the union that are at the forefront of monitoring the State of Emergency to combat the Covid-19 pandemic, showing outrage at the way they are being treated.
A year after the successive inspections began, Paulo Santos says that the police are “exhausted”, reaching “a limit situation” and feel “unfairly treated”, claiming that the Covid-19 is serving as an excuse not to be applied the law, as is the case of the impossibility of elements of the PSP to leave for the pre-retirement after having reached the maximum age limit, the 60 years.
The ASPP also reports on the policemen who were in the operational support and who have now been integrated into the Covid inspection teams, but who are not receiving the supplement that exists for this purpose, being paid “illegally” a subsidy in the amount of 1.80 euros per day.
According to Paulo Santos, the policemen who were in the operational support (secretarial work) should receive the picket supplement, just as they receive the agents who walk on the street, which has a value of around 140 euros per month.
Another of the concerns expressed by the PSP staff, according to the largest union of the Public Security Police, is related to vaccination against the Covid-19, in which about half of the policemen who walk on the street are still to be vaccinated.
As an example, ASPP mentions that half of the traffic division of PSP do Porto is not vaccinated and police commands where the number of vaccinated policemen does not exceed 60%.
According to the union, the operational support officers who have been integrated into Covid inspection teams and are “working on the ground extensively” have not yet been vaccinated, which translates to “irresponsibility in the management of these human resources”.
Education
Families helped students in online classes but lacked rest at home.
Most students had family support during distance learning in the first confinement, but for many it was difficult to find a quiet place to study at home or have equipment to attend classes online.
These are some of the conclusions of the study released by the Institute for Educational Assessment (IAVE), which attempted to identify learning failures during the suspension of face-to-face education, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but also to understand the conditions in which primary school students managed to follow the classes.
More than 23,000 3rd, 6th and 9th grade students responded to a survey in January and most admitted that there was a lot of effort at home in wanting to know if they were doing their schoolwork.
This concern was registered in more than 76 percent of the homes of boys in the 3rd and 6th years and dropped to 62.6 percent among students in the 3rd cycle, reveals the “Study Diagnostic Apprenticeships”.
“Families considered it very important to accompany their children”, stressed the president of IAVE, Luís Santos, during the presentation of the preliminary data.
Realizing whether they were learning was a constant in the homes of families with students at the three different levels of education (69.6 percent in the 3rd year said they received support, 72 percent in the 6th year and 57.4 percent in the 9th year).
Economy
Food and specialty retail sales fell 1.5 percent last year.
In 2019, the total sales volume of the retail sector had reached 22,996 million euros, according to the Barometer of Portuguese Association of Distribution Companies (APED).
Food retail sales increased by 8.1 percent last year, compared to 2019, to 15,621 million euros, while specialised retail fell by almost 18 percent (17.7 percent) to 7,032 million euros.
“The restrictions imposed due to the Covid-19 pandemic had a strong impact on the different specialized retail markets”, stresses APED.
In food retail, the product category that recorded the greatest growth was frozen, which increased its sales by 17.6 percent, followed by the light snacks which rose 16.6 percent, and grocery, with 11.6 percent.
Sales in the perishable category increased by 11.5 percent and beverages by 10.9 percent. The dairy category increased by 5.7 percent and hygiene and cleaning 4.2 percent.
“In 2020, the private label market share was 35.1 percent, having increased by 1.4 percentage points” compared to the previous year, according to APED.
By distribution channel market share, hypermarkets increased by 0.2 percentage points to 23.6 percent, while supermarkets recorded a decrease of 1.4 percentage points to 57.7 percent.
The hard discounter’s channels and other locations recorded increases of 0.6 and 0.5 percentage points, respectively, to 11.2 percent and 7.5 percent, in the same order.
With regard to specialised retail, the computer market was the one that “grew the most” in 2020, with a 23.1 percent increase in sales volume to 671 million euros, while the one that recorded the greatest decline was clothing, with a decrease of 32.5 percent to 1,405 million euros.
Other news
Portugal will send 60 military personnel to Mozambique. Contingent leaves in the first half of April.
The sending of this contingent of 60 Portuguese military personnel of the Special Forces, is framed by the new framework agreement for bilateral cooperation that is being finalized by the Portuguese and Mozambican ministries, said the source.
In an interview with Lusa released on February 17, the Portuguese minister, João Gomes Cravinho, estimated the contingent of “special forces” to be deployed in Mozambique to around 60 military personnel, assisting through the training and preparation of the African country in the combating terrorism.
“What we are going to highlight are trainers to train marines and commandos. They are military personnel who have these skills, Special Forces”, said Gomes Cravinho at the time, stressing that the planning with the Mozambican authorities is underway.
The Mozambican defence minister had already indicated to the Portuguese government the intention to visit Portugal, but there are no dates yet, according to the same source.
Regarding the new framework agreement for technical-military co-operation between Portugal and Mozambique, to take effect in the next three years, Gomes Cravinho stated that he does not contemplate major changes in content, but represents an “intensification” of cooperation with this country, following the current threat context.