Azores Situation Report Wednesday 4th May 2022
From our colleague in the Azores
Covid-19
In the seven days from Friday 22nd April until Thursday 28th April there were 2,507 new positive cases of Covid-19 registered in the Azores, and a total of 7,062 tests performed. 2585 people have recovered, and one two deaths have been recorded bringing the total to 108. There are a total of 2,248 active cases, 80 fewer than lats week.
There are 21 patients in the region’s hospitals and only 1 in the ICU.
Search for missing fishermen.
The search for the two fishermen who disappeared on Saturday in the Azores, after the boat they were working on ran aground near the island of Santa Maria, continues today.
Operations, through the Ponta Delgada Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC Delgada), have been carried out uninterruptedly since 6:45 pm on Saturday, said Navy spokesman José Sousa Luís.
“During the night we had fewer resources, but the searches continued. The vessel was, however, towed and will be subject to inspection by the Maritime Police,” she said.
According to the Navy, the fishing vessel Alexandre, which ran aground near the Praia Formosa Bay, was towed to the port of Vila do Porto, where it will be guarded by the Maritime Police until the arrival of forensic divers.
The alert of the disappearance of the two fishermen was given by a third crew member, rescued alive by the fishing vessel Santo Onofre, around 18:00, and who was later collected by the Maritime Police to Vila do Porto, “being in good health.”
According to the survivor, the two fishermen were no longer seen at 2:00 pm.
Festas do Santo Cristo in Ponta Delgada with entertainment, restaurants and lighting
The Ponta Delgada City Council revealed this Friday that the Festas do Santo Cristo will feature lighting in Campo de São Francisco, restaurants and musical entertainment, contrary to what had been previously announced.
In a statement, the municipal executive highlights the “spirit of fruitful and profitable dialogue” with the rector of the Sanctuary and with the provider of the ‘Irmandade das Festas do Senhor Santo Cristo dos Milagres’.
“We managed to reach an understanding so that the festivities would meet what the faithful understand that this religious festivity should be”, said the president of the municipality, the social democrat Nascimento Cabral, quoted in the statement.
Contrary to what had been announced by the rector of the Santuário do Senhor Santo Cristo, Adriano Borges, on March 11, “the parties will be held with lighting in Campo de São Francisco and musical entertainment, ensured by the Coral de São José, by the Ponta Delgada Regional Conservatory and by philharmonic bands”, advances the municipality.
Three restaurants will also be licensed on Avenida Dinis Moreira da Mota.
The Chamber also adds that, in terms of licensing, the period for submitting applications for the occupation of public space intended for “retail trade or catering and non-sedentary drink” is open until May 8th, 2022.
The Festas do Senhor Santo Cristo dos Milagres will take place from 20th to 28th May 2022 in Ponta Delgada.
On March 11th, the rector of the Sanctuary had advanced that the Festas do Santo Cristo, suspended two years ago due to the covid-19 pandemic, would take place again this year, in Ponta Delgada, on the island of São Miguel, in a new Format.
The rector also stated that there would not be the usual lighting in Campo de São Francisco and that only the facade of the church would be lit: “There will be nothing profane in Campo de São Francisco”, he added.
The festivities of Senhor Santo Cristo dos Milagres, considered the second largest religious manifestation in the country after the pilgrimages to Fátima, annually bring thousands of pilgrims from all over the world to the island of São Miguel, coming from the nine islands of the Azores, from the mainland, as well as the United States of America and Canada.