Algarve situation report Saturday 10th October 2020
Covid- 19 ARS statistics
The Algarve Health Authority reported yesterday 36 more cases of infection, totalling 1,923 cases and a total of 22 deaths to date.
- No. of active cases (current) 763
- No. of active surveillance contacts 1 532
- No. of confirmed cases (cumulative) 1 939
- No. of deaths (cumulative) 22
- No. of new cases in the last 24 hours 36
- Number of hospitalized patients 27, including 5 in ICU
- Number of recovered cases (cumulative) 1,154 – recovered 59.52 %
Loulé Carnival Parade 2021 Cancelled
In view of the growing number of people infected by COVID-19 in the country and worldwide, as well as the important economic problems resulting from the periods of confinement, the City Council decided to cancel the traditional Carnival parade in Loulé. This decision reflects the need to protect the population at the health level, as well as safeguarding the local economy, preventing the appearance of new outbreaks that could result in more periods of confinement.
For over a hundred years now, Avenida José da Costa Mealha has hosted the grand parade of the Loulé Carnival. Known to some as the “Louletano Sambadrome” and to others as the oldest carnival parade in the country, the Loulé Carnival attracts close to 60,000 people over its three days of parade.
Its mega-production requires a hard work of more than 3 months and includes about 600 extras and 14 floats. Despite the importance of this anchor event in the municipality, its typology, its format, its invitation to socialize and share experiences between the stakeholders make the organization unable to ensure compliance with the COVID-19 prevention rules, listed by the DGS, as well as by the measures imposed by the Government of the Portuguese Republic, in what concerns above all the social distance and the prevention of gatherings inside and outside the enclosure.
This difficult decision comes in addition to so many other measures taken by the Municipality for the safety of the population and is aligned with several municipalities at national and international level that have already announced the cancellation of their carnival celebrations, due to the lack of knowledge about the evolution of Pandemic, in the beginning of 2021.
In Loulé, the date will be marked with decorative elements placed on Avenida José da Costa Mealha and elsewhere in the city, so that everyone remembers this event that will return in 2022.
President of AHETA considers Tourist season 2020 was “the worst ever” for the Algarve
Association of Hotels and Tourist Enterprises of the Algarve (AHETA) considers that the tourist season 2020, (April to October), which really counts for the results of the companies, presents the “worst tourist results ever in the Algarve”.
Between April and October, the Algarve recorded an average occupancy rate of 27.5 percent, a decrease of 65.5 percent, while turnover decreased 68.7 percent, compared to the same period last year. Thus, hotels and tourist developments in the Algarve recorded, between April and October, 10.3 million fewer nights than in 2019, with revenues falling by 635.8 million euros in the same period.
These results mainly contributed to the drop in demand from the main foreign markets, with emphasis on our largest supplier of tourists, the United Kingdom -88.9 percent, resulting in 626 thousand fewer guests and 3.8 million overnight stays. On the other hand, the most important issuing markets also showed large decreases in tourist flows to the Algarve during this tourist season, namely Germany -77.4 percent, Holland 67.3 percent, Ireland -94.7 percent and France – 73.2 percent.
Passenger traffic at Faro Airport, the main port of entry for tourists in the Algarve, decreased 82.5 percent, down 5.3 million passengers, 2.8 million of which came from the United Kingdom. Approximately 20 percent of tourist developments remained closed during the tourist season, corresponding to more than 26 thousand beds. The outlook is for 70 percent of establishments to close during the next low season (November to March).
Therefore, “it is our conviction that the recovery will be slow and very prolonged, extending over several years, to the extent that the reestablishment of confidence levels with holiday consumers is not assured and is not predictable in the times closer, including the fear of traveling that affects the world in general”, considers the direction of AHETA in a statement sent to the press.
“Today we have a more precise and clearer perception of the scale of the crisis and its impact on tourism and the economy in general, although aware that, after the pandemic, tourism will return gradually and gradually”.
EasyJet to open a new base in Faro and creates 100 jobs
The airline EasyJet will open a new base at Faro Airport in the spring of next year, creating 100 jobs. The announcement was made this Thursday, October 8th. In a statement, EasyJet explains that the future base will have “three A319 aircraft”, each with a capacity for 156 passengers.
José Lopes, executive director of EasyJet Portugal, revealed, at a press conference held at the Ministry of Economy, that recruitment starts today, but priority will be given to current airline workers who can thus request a transfer. Only then, if necessary, will an “external recruitment process” be opened.
According to José Lopes, the new base in Faro confirms, “unequivocally, EasyJet’s great commitment” to Portugal. Especially because this new investment will allow the airline to remain “attentive and take advantage of new opportunities that may arise in the market”. According to José Lopes, an agreement was concluded with “the representatives of our employees”, which will avoid “any dismissals and allow this growth”. At the moment, EasyJet, which employs about 325 people in Portugal, has 17 routes from Faro, representing 20% of passengers disembarked in the region.
Algarve – Covid-19 Situation as at Monday 5th October.
The Algarve has 1,832 cases, 25 more in the last 24 hours and 19 deaths ending 5th October. Regional weekly count (cumulative): source (DGS):
- Albufeira has 292, (3 deaths)
- Loulé – 260, (8 deaths)
- Faro – 227
- Portimão – 199, (3 deaths)
- Lagos – 198
- Vila Real de Stº António – 101, (2 deaths)
- Tavira – 94
- Silves – 83
- Olhão – 61
- Lagoa – 61, (2 deaths)
- Castro Marim – 30
- Monchique – 16
- São Brás de Alportel – 15, (1 death)
- Vila do Bispo – 13
- Alcoutim – 11
- Aljezur – 9 (1 death)
- The information presented refers to the total of medical notifications in the SINAVE system, not including laboratory notifications. As such, it may not correspond to all cases per municipality.
Covid.19: Woman detained in Albufeira for violation of mandatory confinement
GNR yesterday detained a 43-year-old woman in Olhos de Água, Albufeira, for violating the mandatory confinement to which she was subject, in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic.
It was through a patrolling action to verify the obligation of mandatory confinement, that “the military intercepted the suspect on the public road, and was taken immediately to their residence”, says a statement from the GNR.
The woman was accused and the facts were referred to the Albufeira Judicial Court.
Algarve hotels recorded a 39.9% drop in demand in September
The Association of Hotels and Tourist Enterprises of the Algarve revealed data referring to the variations in accommodation units in the region for September.
Thus, the average occupancy rate / room was 52.5%, 39.9% below the value registered in 2019.
According to the association, the British market was the one that most contributed to the decrease (-68.2%), followed by the Irish (91.3%) and the German (-48.3%).
The national market was the only one to show an increase (+ 36%), having represented 49.5% of the total overnight stays.
Sales volume decreased by 37% compared to the same month of the previous year. In accumulated values, the bed occupancy registered an average decrease of -55.8% since January and the sales volume decreased by -51.3%.
Covid.19: Municipality of Albufeira creates telephone line to clarify educational community
The Municipality of Albufeira has created a support line for the educational community, “Lace-Covid 19”, with the support of ABC – Algarve Biomedical Centre.
As the Municipality explains in a statement, this is a measure that aims to “inform and minimize” the possibility of transmission of the new coronavirus, in addition to facilitating safe, clarified return to classes. The line is available at 707 027 070, open every day of the week from 7 am to midnight.
The telephone service counts on ABC doctors, who are available to assist in case of suspicious or positive cases, as well as in situations of doubts or behaviours to be adopted in case of alert.
The municipality notes that the creation of the line is not intended to replace the SNS24 line, “but rather to provide an integrated response” within the scope of the adaptation strategy of the municipality’s educational community in order to minimize the possibility of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus which causes the Covid-19 disease).