Madeira Situation Report Saturday 8th May 2021
By our correspondent Daniel Fernandes
Covid-19 update
There were 48 new Covid-19 cases, 65 recoveries and no deaths from Covid-19 in Madeira since the previous Madeira Situation Report.
On Wednesday, there were 20 new Covid-19 cases (all cases of local transmission) and 11 recoveries. The number of patients in hospital decreased to 13, 3 of whom were in intensive care.
On Thursday, there were 13 new Covid-19 cases (all cases of local transmission) and 16 recoveries. The number of patients in hospital increased to 14, 3 of whom were in intensive care.
And on Friday, there were 15 new Covid-19 cases (all cases of local transmission) and 38 recoveries. The number of patients in hospital increased at 15, 3 of whom were in intensive care.
There were 250 active cases on Friday, of which 9 had been imported while the other 241 cases had been a result of local transmission. As of Friday, there had been 9,083 cases, 8,762 recoveries and 71 deaths.
On Friday, there were 30 patients in isolation in a dedicated hotel, 205 patients in isolation in their own accommodation and 15 patients in Covid-19 units, 3 of whom in intensive care.
On the same day, there were 145 suspected cases under epidemiological investigation and analysis, which were all linked to patients who tested positive for Covid-19, to calls made to the SRS24 helpline, to referrals by SESARAM (Madeira Regional Health Service) and to airport screening.
There were 9,496 travellers under monitoring by the health authorities. Monitoring is being carried out through the ‘MadeiraSafe’ app. There were also 629 people, who had contact with positive cases, being monitored by the health authorities of several Madeira municipalities and of Porto Santo.
As for Covid-19 testing on passengers who had arrived at Funchal and Porto Santo airports, 194,878 samples had been collected until Friday (at 15h30). By Friday, 393,723 samples from RT-PCR tests had been processed and 49,629 antigen rapid tests had been carried out in the Autonomous Region of Madeira.
The SRS 24 helpline (Regional Health Service – 800 24 24 20) received 304 calls from Tuesday to Friday. Overall, it has received 47,995 calls.
The Covid-19 mental health helpline (Linha de Acompanhamento Psicológico da Direção Regional de Saúde – 291 212 399 – available every day from 09h00 to 21h00), which was set up to provide emotional and mental support to anyone in Madeira received 13 calls from Tuesday to Friday. Overall, it has received 3,472 calls.
https://funchalnoticias.net/2021/05/05/20-novos-casos-de-covid-19-11-recuperados-109-suspeitos/
https://funchalnoticias.net/2021/05/06/13-novos-casos-de-covid-19-16-recuperados-119-suspeitos/
https://funchalnoticias.net/2021/05/07/15-novos-casos-de-covid-19-38-recuperados-145-suspeitos/
Vaccination update
Today’s vaccination highlight is undoubtedly the scheduled 100,000th inoculation with the Covid-19 vaccine in the Autonomous Region of Madeira. This historic inoculation will take place at Centro de Vacinação do Funchal (Funchal Vaccination Centre), located in Madeira Tecnopólo, and Pedro Ramos (Madeira’s Health and Civil Protection Secretary) will be in attendance to witness it.
In further good news, an additional shipment of 10,000 AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccines arrived in the Region yesterday. Martinha Garcia, the director of the Núcleo Farmacêutico do SESARAM (SESARAM’s pharmaceutical department), said this delivery will enable mass vaccination to continue.
https://funchalnoticias.net/2021/05/07/vacina-no-100-mil-sera-administrada-amanha-na-ram/
https://funchalnoticias.net/2021/05/07/mais-10-000-vacinas-da-astrazeneca-disponiveis-na-ram/
Madeira archipelago on the England’s “Green List”
The announcement by Grant Shapps (UK Transport Secretary) that Portugal will be on the green list of countries from May 17th has undoubtedly been welcomed by many in Madeira, due to its potential to enable a quicker recovery of the regional economy and tourism. This means that leisure travel from England will be allowed without a requirement for quarantine upon return. However, for the time being, only essential travel from the UK is currently allowed into Portugal.
Regional Government evaluation of the pandemic situation
On Thursday, Miguel Albuquerque (President of the Madeira Regional Government) said the Regional Government will evaluate the pandemic situation within 14 days, and decide if there is a loosening or tightening of pandemic restrictions such as the curfew or the opening hours of bars and restaurants.
MadeiraShopping’s new opening hours
MadeiraShopping has new opening hours and will open at 09h00 and close at 22h00 (Mondays to Sundays). Some shops may opt to open sometime between 09h00 and 10h00 in order to give visitors more time for shopping. The extended closing time (22h00) allows customers to shop more safely and more calmly. Customers wishing to find out the opening hours of specific shops can visit the following website: www.madeirashopping.pt.
The shopping centre has implemented several pandemic prevention and containment measures, and provided customers with safer shopping experiences, such as a Drive-in service. Through this service, customers can make their purchases online or by phone and then collect their shopping at a dedicated area in the car park, without leaving the car. This reduces the number of customers inside the shopping centre.
The online booking system for shops remains available (madeirashopping.pt/lojas-agendamento-online/) and allows customers to book visits to specific and adhering shops. This means customers can potentially avoid waiting in queues.
Information on the number of customers inside the shopping centre and the car park is constantly updated on the MadeiraShopping website. This enables customers to plan their visit so as to avoid visiting at peak times.
The Shopping Centre’s services continue to be enhanced through digital options and the Covid-19 pandemic prevention measures.
https://www.jm-madeira.pt/regiao/ver/127664/MadeiraShopping_tem_novo_horario_de_funcionamento
Digital nomads in Madeira
There are currently about 700 digital nomads living in Madeira. And over 6,000 are interested in being a digital nomad in Madeira. Since there is no more accommodation available in Ponta do Sol, the Regional Government would like to extend the scheme to other municipalities. So far, digital nomads have contributed more than €1,5M per month to the Region’s economy.
Water supply disruption
The Municipality of Funchal (Câmara Municipal do Funchal) informed that scheduled work on the water supply network at Estrada Comandante Camacho de Freitas, in the parish (freguesia) of Santo António, will cause a water supply disruption. It will take place on Monday (10th of May), from 09h00 to 17h00, and will affect the following areas:
– Estrada Comandante Camacho de Freitas (between the junction at Esmeraldo and the junction at Caminho de Santo Amaro
– Urbanização do Pico dos Barcelos
– Ribeiro Choco
– Caminho do Poço Barral (between the junction at Esmeraldo and Travessa do Tanque)
– Caminho do Esmeraldo (between the entrance to Recheio and the junction at Esmeraldo)
– Rua do Poço Barral
https://funchalnoticias.net/2021/05/07/cmf-avisa-para-eventuais-cortes-de-agua-em-santo-antonio/