Algarve Situation Report, Wednesday 24th February
Covid-19: From 3rd to 16th February, only one municipality in the Algarve was at “extreme risk”.
The Directorate-General for Health (DGS) on Monday released the usual epidemiological situation regarding Portuguese municipalities, from 3rd to 16th February.
In the Algarve, at extreme risk (over 960 cases per 100,000 inhabitants) was Monchique with a rate of 1064.
At very high risk (+ 480 to 960), were Vila Real de Stº António – 901 and Castro Marim – 722.
At high risk (+240 to 480) there were 10 municipalities: Albufeira – 445, Alcoutim – 417, Faro – 408, Silves – 406, Loulé – 396, Portimão – 380, Lagos – 346, Olhão – 320 and São Brás de Alportel and Lagoa both with 250.
At moderate risk, (less than 240), there were Tavira – 208, Aljezur – 89 and Vila do Bispo – 78.
Also according to DGS data, in the last 24 hours, 22 new cases and 2 deaths were registered in the Algarve.
Tourism “has a future” and Algarve business people must be resilient – Associação
The President of the Business Association of the Algarve Region (NERA) said today that tourism “has a future”, despite the pandemic of Covid-19, arguing that businessmen should “resist” and maintain activity until the recovery arrives.
Speaking to Lusa, Vítor Neto said that the most optimistic recovery scenarios have not been verified and companies should take into account the different scenarios on the prospects of economic recovery to ensure that their companies remain active until then.
The former Secretary of State for Tourism of the socialist party, António Guterres, summarized in this way the content of a statement that the Algarve business association released yesterday to “signal, on the one hand, that it believes in the recovery and recovery of tourism”, but warning that there are multiple factors that can delay the most optimistic recovery scenarios.
Vítor Neto considered that the crisis created by the Covid-19 pandemic is “quite serious and has not only affected companies more directly related to tourism, such as accommodation and restaurants”, also affecting “a group of companies that also provide goods and services accommodation and catering services”.
That person gave as examples the “thousands” of companies of “food equipment, drinks or ‘software’” that were “strongly affected” by the break in activity and considered that entrepreneurs should be “very careful and cool-headed” to be able to reach the phase of recovery with the businesses in activity.
“The question that arises is that there are very large conditions and factors of uncertainty. And the main one is the evolution of the pandemic. It is clear that we have to fight the pandemic in our region and country and generate this perception at national and international level. But it also depends on the pandemic in the other issuing markets”, he argued.
https://www.algarveprimeiro.com/d/turismo-tem-futuro-e-empresarios-do-algarve-tem-de-ser-resilientes-associacao/36910-4
Jamila Madeira promotes hearing on resumption of tourist activity
Concerned about the effects of the public health crisis on the economy and tourism, socialist MP Jamila Madeira holds an online public hearing on the resumption of tourism activity with the various entities in the sector.
The meeting, which will be held by videoconference on Thursday, February 25th, between 5 pm and 7 pm, aims to make an assessment of the economic situation of this activity, which has been almost totally stopped for more than a year, and to know the ways appointed by the entities in this area for the recovery process and the new framework of the sector.
From an economic point of view, namely in the tourism sector, the stop was abrupt and, as far as the Algarve is concerned, practically total.
“We know that the limitations will not disappear overnight, but the ongoing vaccination campaign brings an opportunity for the resumption of tourism activity so important for the country’s economy”, points out the deputy elected by the Faro circle in the invitation sector institutions.
Recalling that the government put the Recovery and Resilience Plan in public discussion, with a European contribution of 13 billion euros for the economic and social recovery of Portugal, Jamila Madeira argues that it is necessary to “combine the opportunities for advancing vaccination with this financial instrument to program the reactivation of the activity of our companies and the economy”.
https://barlavento.sapo.pt/politica/jamila-madeira-promove-audicao-sobre-retoma-da-atividade-turistica