ALGARVE SITUATION REPORT 18 MAY 2022
Good morning we start by bringing you the latest situation regarding Covid 19 in the region. In the latest situation report by the DGS for the period between the 3rd and 9th May, there were 3,519 new cases and 9 deaths in the Algarve. The 14 day incidence rate is currently at 1358.1 per 100,000 people and the transmission rate is 1.09. All of these figures show increases on the previous week so we must all be aware that the infection is still amongst us and we should all take as much care now as we were when the pandemic was in full swing.
Meanwhile the region has seen a spate of arrests for drug trafficking.
Eight drug trafficking suspects were arrested in Vilamoura and Albufeira.
The authorities detained eight men suspected of drug trafficking in Albufeira and Vilamoura , announced the National Republican Guard.
The detainees, who are between 19 and 35 years old, were approached as part of an operation aimed at combating drug sales in areas where there are nightlife spaces in the Algarve, according to a source from the GNR’s Faro Territorial Command.
The operation had a special focus on the Vilamoura Marina and in areas of bars and clubs in Albufeira and was the result of a “strong bet” that the GNR is making on the occasion of the “beginning of the bathing season” to “fight this type of crime at night next to nightlife spaces”, he added.
According to the same source, due to the “low amounts” of drugs seized – 210 doses of cocaine, 30 doses of hashish, nine of cannabis and 1.8 grams of MDMA -, the detainees were subject to a Term of Identity and Residence and will wait in freedom, with periodic presentations, the course of the judicial process. The GNR source also said that the operation carried out over the weekend will be “maintained” in periods of greater influx to nightlife areas in the Algarve, where “this type of crime is expected to increase” with the beginning of the high season of the year. tourism in the region.
“With the start of the bathing season and a greater influx of people, after two years of the [covid-19] pandemic, we will continue to focus on these areas under control to ensure the safety of these areas” of the district, he concluded.
Woman arrested for drug trafficking in Armação de Pêra
The National Republican Guard (GNR) detained, on Thursday, in Armação de Pêra , in the municipality of Silves , a 27-year-old woman suspected of trafficking narcotics and seized 272 doses of drugs .
The arrest and seizure of the drug resulted from an investigation by the Silves Criminal Investigation Centre, which began about a month ago, the GNR said in a statement.In the operation to search the suspect’s home, the military seized 232 doses of MDMA, 40 doses of hashish, a cannabis plant, a precision scale, a cell phone and cash. The woman was made a defendant and the case sent to the Department of Investigation and Criminal Action (DIAP) at the Portimão Court.
108 kilos of hashish seized aboard a sailboat in Vilamoura
The local Command of the Maritime Police of Portimão and the Judiciary Police seized about 108 kilos of hashish aboard a sailboat anchored south of Vilamoura , in the municipality of Loulé, on Monday, May 16, announced the Maritime Authority. National. The hashish was divided into 215 packages and was detected during an inspection at sea, at 1:20 pm.
The sailboat, with two crew on board, had a propulsion failure and “for safety reasons for navigation”, it was towed to the port of Vilamoura, where it was inspected in order to prevent a possible sinking.The 215 packages of hashish were later handed over to the Judiciary Police and the two crew members were arrested on suspicion of drug trafficking.
Deaths have returned to the region’s roads again in the past week when two women were killed while walking along the EN125 road near in the area of Quatro Estradas. “It was a fatal accident, in the area of Quatro Estradas, on the EN125, and the victims are two women, aged 47 and 75 years old”, said the CDOS source in Faro, specifying that the alert for the occurrence was received at 7:37 and the victims are mother and daughter. The CDOS source also said that the driver was “transported to the hospital with minor injuries”, and the GNR Traffic Accidents Nucleus is now working to investigate the causes of the fatal crash.
The rescue teams received the alert for the accident at 07:37 and were on site to provide assistance to six vehicles, with 14 operational, from the Loulé Fire Department, the National Institute of Medical Emergency (INEM) and the GNR. Quatro Estradas is located on the EN125 between Loulé and Quarteira, close to the west entrance to Almancil.
Also along the EN125, A head-on collision this morning 17/05 between Estômbar and Parchal , in the municipality of Lagoa , caused two injuries and forced the EN125 to be cut, according to a source from the District Relief Operations Command (CDOS) in Faro. The same source indicated that it was necessary to carry out an extrication operation.
The alert was given at 04:38 and forced the mobilisation of 11 operatives supported by eight vehicles, according to information made available on the website of the National Authority for Emergency and Civil Protection.
On a more happy note, The Municipality of Monchique is organising a new initiative that aims to celebrate local traditions, which will take place on the 28th and 29th of May, announced the municipality .
Entitled “Vamos à Vila”, this initiative will take place in some arteries of Monchique, which will be closed to traffic, inviting everyone to share knowledge and flavours of the territory.
“We want to highlight the genuineness associated with local products and let it speak for itself and highlight rural experiences, so that they result in an effective archive, to keep and preserve”, says the municipality in a statement.
Through this initiative, the municipality intends to “place Monchique and its identity heritage in its affective geography ” and that “it is a territory of proximity between popular culture, music, arts and crafts and local knowledge and flavours”.
With free admission, this event includes gastronomy, shows, workshops, exhibitions, entertainment and dance in its program.
The Municipality of Loulé is getting ready to celebrate another anniversary and, this year, the commemorative program that takes place from the 21st to the 29th of May, includes the inauguration of the Islamic Baths of Loulé and the Manor House of Barreto.
Cultural, educational, environmental, social or sports activities mark this Municipality Week, which will make known to the public what is the work carried out by the municipality in the different areas of intervention and the main guidelines of local governance in recent years.
And because the defence of its natural heritage is, from the outset, one of the priority interventions, one of the highlights of these celebrations goes to the inauguration of the Advanced Civil Protection Unit in Vale Maria Dias, on May 24, at 2 pm.
The expansion of the former Casa dos Cantoneiros in Serra do Caldeirão, in the parish of Salir, made it possible to install the base for a Civil Protection detachment in the interior. Command Post, logistical support for Civil Protection operations, headquarters for forest sappers, space for training in the field of forest fire protection and temporary shelter for the population are some of the building’s valences.
Thursday of Ascension or Thursday of the Espiga, May 26, marks the Municipality Day and with it the official moments that take place in the morning, in Praça da República, such as the hoisting of the Flag, graduation of the Municipal Firefighters and Banda Philharmonic Artists of Minerva and homage to the soldiers who died in the War of the ex-colonies.
In a solemn public ceremony that takes place this year outdoors, at Cerca do Convento, from 9:45 am, it is time for the speech by the mayor of Loulé, Vítor Aleixo, and for the launch of the video “It is good to live in Loulé ”. It is in the same place that, at 11:15 am, José Eduardo Agualusa will receive the Grand Prize for Chronicles and Dispersos Literaries APE/ CM de Loulé, which this year distinguishes the work “O Mais Belo Fim do Mundo”, by this Angolan writer.
Finally as the summer season is starting to bring more visitors to the region there authorities have issued a warning about unstable cliff areas along the coastline.
As bathing season kicks off in the Algarve, the authorities are once again warning beach-goers of the dangers when sheltering under the cliffs.
On rocky coasts, there are cliffs that are permanently or periodically exposed to the sea, causing the natural erosion of the cliffs, which in turn can result in landslides or rock falls. This poses a danger for beach-goers in certain areas.
The APA, Portuguese Environment Agency, in conjunction with safety authorities, is promoting the placement of risk signs on the beaches, where cliffs that pose a risk have been identified, as a way of informing and raising awareness among users of these bathing areas.
The APA has produced a list of the beaches in the Algarve where there are dangerous cliffs, showing areas of beach to avoid. Which you can find at this link: https://apambiente.pt/prevencao-e-gestao-de-riscos/faixas-de-riscos-das-arribas
Have a safe and happy week.