Madeira Report for Wednesday 30th of September
There were 10 new Covid-19 cases in Madeira since the previous Madeira Situation Report. On Saturday, there were 3 new Covid-19 cases (from 1 passenger who had arrived from the UK, 1 passenger who had arrived from France and 1 case of
local transmission) and 4 recoveries. On Sunday, there was 1 new Covid-19 case, from a passenger who had arrived from the Lisbon and Tagus Valley region. On Monday, there were 6 new Covid-19 cases (from 4 passengers who had arrived from
Poland and 2 passengers who had arrived from France) and 1 recovery. And there were no new Covid-19 cases on Tuesday.
A patient at Hospital Privado da Madeira had been
preparing for hospitalisation when he tested positive for Covid-19. It is standard procedure for patients to be tested for Covid-19 before hospitalisation. On Friday, the patient was transferred, by a special Covid-19 ambulance, to the
Covid-19 unit at Hospital Dr. Nélio Mendonça.
There are currently 60 active cases, of which 50 were imported and identified through screening at Funchal Airport, while the other 10 were a result of a local transmission. So far, there have been 218 cases and 158 recoveries.
Madeira remains the only Portuguese district and autonomous region without any deaths from Covid-19.
There are currently 28 patients in isolation at a dedicated hotel, 31 patients in isolation at their own accommodation and 1 patient is in the Covid-19 unit at Hospital Dr. Nélio Mendonça.
There are currently 8 suspected cases under epidemiological investigation and analysis. As of Tuesday, there had been 1,678 suspected cases, of which 1,460 were not confirmed.
There are 6,968 people under active monitoring and 7,708 people
in self-monitoring. Monitoring is being carried out by the health authorities of the Region’s Municipalities through the ‘MadeiraSafetoDiscover’ app.
As for Covid-19 testing on passengers who had arrived at Funchal and Porto Santo airports, 69,018 samples had been collected until Tuesday (at 17h30). Overall, as of Monday, 113,92 samples had been processed in the Autonomous Region of
Madeira.
The SRS 24 helpline (Regional Health Service – 800 24 24 20) received 153 calls from Friday to Tuesday. Overall, the total number of calls made to this helpline is 12,998.
The Covid-19 mental health helpline (219 212 399 – available every day from 9h00 to 21h00) that was set up to provide emotional and mental support to Madeira residents has received 2,216 calls, with 182 people being monitored.
https://funchalnoticias.net/2020/09/28/6-novos-casos-de-covid-19-na-madeira/
Christmas and New Year festivities being carefully planned
Eduardo Jesus, the Madeira Tourism Secretary, said the Madeira Regional Government is carefully planning the Christmas and New Year festivities. A tender for the provision of fireworks has been opened.. And the regional health
authorities have a crucial role to play in the planning process. The aim is for the festivities to take place while ensuring full compliance with all the safety measures required by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Madeira to lobby for an EU-wide policy on passenger screening at the place of departure
The Madeira Regional Government will lobby the European Union to set an EU-wide policy so that Covid-19 screening on passengers takes place at the place of departure. Eduardo Jesus, the Madeira Tourism Secretary, stated this while also
highlighting the passenger screening 
policy adopted in Madeira. He
argued that the introduction of such a policy would be “extraordinarily important” for Madeira and for its recovery. He added that the Madeira Regional Government will continue to do everything it can to minimise the consequences of the
absence of such a policy.
Once again, he said that Madeira has an advantage in comparison to other destinations, particularly rival destinations, and is best prepared to keep people’s trust. He also highlighted the big battle Madeira had in showing several
countries that the regional epidemiological situation is “completely different” from the mainland, with the absence of any deaths from Covid-19. He reminded the effort Madeira made in proving this to the UK, which led to the biggest
British operator to double its frequencies to the region.
Water supply disruption
There will be a water supply disruption on the 1st and 6th of October, from 09h00 until 15h00, in the parish of Câmara de Lobos. The following areas will be affected: Espírito Santo and Torre. The disruption will be due to scheduled
work to reduce water leaks on the water supply chain in the Municipality of Câmara de Lobos.
Power cut
Empresa de Electricidade da Madeira (Madeira power supplier) announced there will be power cuts in the following days, due to planned work on the electricity supply network. These works must not be postponed. The following areas will be
affected:
CÂMARA DE LOBOS
1st October – 14h00 to 16h00
– Sítio das Fajãs do Cabo Girão (including Cable car)
– Estrada de Santa Clara (between 265 and 349)
– Estrada de Santa Clara (between 288 and 338)
– Caminho Velho do Rancho
– Vereda da Areia ao Pico do Rancho
– Edifício Quintinha do Rancho
However, power could be restored during the time frame mentioned above. So, for safety purposes, it should be assumed that there will be power at any time during this period of time.
If necessary, customers can contact the free Customer Support Service (Serviço de Apoio ao Cliente): 800 221 187.
Madeira Covid-19 update by Daniel Fernandes
There were 3 new Covid-19 cases in Madeira since the previous Madeira Situation Report. On Wednesday, there were no new Covid-19 cases. On Thursday, there were no new Covid-19 cases for a second consecutive day and there were 3
recoveries. And on Friday, there were 3 new cases (from passengers who had arrived from Lisbon and Tagus Valley, Poland and Spain). All new cases were identified through passenger screening at the Region’s airports.
There are currently 55 active cases, of which 44 were imported and identified through screening at Funchal Airport, while the other 11 were a result of a local transmission chain. So far, there have been 208 cases and 153 recoveries.
Madeira remains the only Portuguese district and autonomous region without any deaths from Covid-19.
There are 28 patients in isolation at a dedicated hotel and 27 patients in isolation at their own accommodation. There is currently 2 suspected cases under epidemiological investigation and analysis. As of Thursday, there had been 1,668
suspected cases, of which 1,460 were not confirmed.
There are 7,463 people under active monitoring and 8,547 people in self-monitoring. Monitoring is being carried out by the health authorities of the Region’s Municipalities through the ‘MadeiraSafetoDiscover’ app.
As for Covid-19 testing on passengers who had arrived at Funchal and Porto Santo airports, 64,985 samples had been collected until Friday (at 16h30). Overall, as of Thursday, 109,333 samples had been processed in the Autonomous Region
of Madeira.
The SRS 24 helpline (Regional Health Service – 800 24 24 20) received 119 calls from Tuesday to Friday. Overall, the total number of calls made to this helpline is 12,845. The Covid-19 mental health helpline (219 212 399 – available
every day from 9h00 to 21h00) that was set up to provide emotional and mental support to Madeira residents has received 2,204 calls, with 182 people being monitored.
https://www.jm-madeira.pt/regiao/ver/105001/Madeira_mantem__55_casos_ativos_de_covid-19_
https://www.jm-madeira.pt/regiao/ver/105096/Madeira_sem_novos_casos_e_mais_tres_doentes_recuperados_
Warning on fraudulent and fake Covid-19 tests
The Parish of Calheta (Junta de Freguesia da Calheta) used its Facebook page to warn that there are vendors knocking on doors and offering to test residents for Covid-19 for a certain fee. The Parish warned that this a “fraudulent act”
and advised the population to contact the Police (Polícia de Segurança Pública) if they are faced with such a situation. It also asked the population to alert and vigilant.
FIA praised Madeira Rally
Jacky Jang, a FIA observer, could not find any negative aspects of the rally event organised by the rally event organised by Club Sports Madeira. The race was considered a success in terms of sport, competition and public health and
reflected the joint work that took place in preparing the event during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Free entry at the Whale Museum on Sunday
World Tourism Day will be celebrated on the 27th September and the
Madeira Whale Museum will celebrate it by offering free entry to all visitors. According to the museum, visiting it, learning more about cetaceans while exploring collections that attract both visitors of all ages “is an excellent
family program”. The museum will be open from 10h00 until 18h00. It is advised that the last entry to the museum takes place at 17h00. There will be a limit on the number of visitors allowed at the same time so it is necessary to comply
with all the employees’ recommendations.
Water supply disruption
There will be a water supply disruption on the 28th of September, from 14h00 to 20h00, due to scheduled work on the water supply network. The disruption will affect the following areas in the Parish of Santo António (Funchal): Caminho
da Azinhaga (until the roundabout at Álamos); Caminho do Salão; Caminho das Bróteas and Rua Antero de Quental.
Madeira Situation Report 23rd September by Daniel Fernandes
Covid-19 update
There were 7 new Covid-19 cases in Madeira since the previous Madeira Situation Report. On Saturday, there was 1 new Covid-19 case (from 1 passenger who had arrived from the Lisbon and Tagus Valley region) and 3 recoveries. On Sunday
there was 1 new Covid-19 case (from 1 passenger, aged 20-29, who had arrived from the UK) and 3 recoveries. On Monday, there 3 new Covid-19 cases (from 2 passengers who had arrived from Colombia and 1 passenger who had arrived from the
UK). And on Tuesday, there were 2 new cases (from 2 passengers who had arrived from the UK) and 2 recoveries. All new cases were identified through passenger screening at the Region’s airports.
There are currently 55 active cases, of which 44 were imported and identified through screening at Funchal Airport, while the other 11 were a result of a local transmission chain. So far, there have been 205 cases and 8 recoveries.
Madeira remains the only Portuguese district and autonomous region without any deaths from Covid-19.
There are 26 patients in isolation at a dedicated hotel and 29 patients in
isolation at their own accommodation. The patient who had been in the Covid-19 unit at Dr. Nélio Mendonça Hospital has been discharged from hospital and is now in isolation at a dedicated hotel.
There is currently 1 suspected case under epidemiological investigation and analysis. As of Tuesday, there had been 1,665 suspected cases, of which 1,460 were not confirmed.
There are 7,700 people under active monitoring and 9,133 people in self-monitoring. Monitoring is being carried out by the health authorities of the Region’s Municipalities through the ‘MadeiraSafetoDiscover’ app.
As for Covid-19 testing on passengers who had arrived at Funchal and Porto Santo airports, 63,353 samples had been collected until Tuesday (at 17h00). Overall, as of Monday, 106,689 samples had been processed in the Autonomous Region of
Madeira.
The SRS 24 helpline (Regional Health Service – 800 24 24 20) received 160 calls from Friday to Tuesday. Overall, the total number of calls made to this helpline is 12,726.
The Covid-19 mental health helpline (219 212 399 – available every day from 9h00 to 21h00) that was set up to provide emotional and mental support to Madeira residents has received 2,183 calls, with 182 people being monitored.
https://www.jm-madeira.pt/regiao/ver/104639/Covid-19_IASAUDE_reporta_um_novo_caso_e_cinco_em_estudo
https://www.jm-madeira.pt/regiao/ver/104737/Madeira_regista_hoje_3_novos_casos_de_covid-19
Paulette tropical storm
Paulette tropical storm is now about 600 Km north-west of Madeira.
Rain fall on Wednesday and on Thursday will not be heavy or a cause for alarm. The weather is likely to be very cloudy today. There will be showers that could be locally intense and often accompanied by thunder, particularly in the
afternoon.
There will also be weak to moderate wind (up to 30 km/h) in the south and stronger wind (up to 40 km/h) in mountain areas. On Thursday, the weather is likely to be very cloudy. There will be showers that could be locally intense and
often accompanied by thunder, particularly until the end of the morning. There will be also be weak to moderate winds (up to 30 km/h) in the south and stronger wind (up to 40 km/h) in mountain areas, which will move to the east from the
middle of the afternoon.
Water supply disruption
There will be a water supply disruption on Thursday, due to scheduled work to reduce water leaks on the water supply chain. The disruption will take place from 09h00 to 13h00 and affect the following places in the parish of Estreito de
Câmara de Lobos: Barreiros, Casa Caída, Castelejo, Covão, Fajã das Galinhas, Marinheira and Pomar do Meio.
Power cut
Empresa de Electricidade da Madeira (Madeira power supplier) announced there will be power cuts in the following days, due to planned work on the electricity supply network. These works must not be postponed. The following areas will be
affected:
ARCO DA CALHETA
25th September – 09h30 to 10h30
26th September – 16h00 to 17h00
27th September – 14h00 to 15h00
– Sítio do Pinheiro
CANHAS
25th September R#8211; 09h30 to 10h30
26th September – 16h00 to 17h00
27th September – 14h00 to 15h00
– Cancela, Malhadinha, Cova Grande, Chope, Eiras, Levada do Poiso, Pomar, Ovo Girão, Vacaria and Parque Empresarial dos Canhas
However, power could be restored during the time frame mentioned above. So, for safety purposes, it should be assumed that there will be power at any time during this period of time.
If necessary, customers can contact the free Customer Support Service (Serviço de Apoio ao Cliente): 800 221 187.
Madeira Report 19th September from Daniel Fernandes
Covid-19 update
There were 8 new Covid-19 cases in Madeira since the previous Madeira Situation Report. On Wednesday, there were 3 new Covid-19 cases (from 1 passenger who had arrived from the Lisbon and Tagus Valley region and 2 passengers who had
arrived from the UK) and 2 recoveries. On Thursday there were 2 new Covid-19 cases (from 2 passengers who had arrived from the UK) and 1 recovery. And on Friday, there were 3 new cases (from 2 passengers who had arrived from the UK) and
1 recovery. All new cases were identified through passenger screening at the Region’s airports.
There are currently 56 active cases, of which 44 were imported and identified through screening at Funchal Airport, while the other 12 were a result of a local transmission chain. So far, there have been 198 cases and 142 recoveries.
Madeira remains the only Portuguese district and autonomous region without any deaths from Covid-19.
There are 25 patients in isolation at a dedicated hotel, 30 patients in isolation
at their own accommodation and 1 patient is in the Covid-19 unit at Dr. Nélio Mendonça Hospital.
There is currently 1 suspected case under epidemiological investigation and analysis. As of Friday, there had been 1,658 suspected cases, of which 1,460 were not confirmed.
There are 7,492 people under active monitoring and 9,016 people in self-monitoring. Monitoring is being carried out by the health authorities of the Region’s Municipalities through the ‘MadeiraSafetoDiscover’ app.
As for Covid-19 testing on passengers who had arrived at Funchal and Porto Santo airports, 58,816 samples had been collected until Friday (at 16h30). Overall, as of Thursday, 101,718 samples had been processed in the Autonomous Region
of Madeira. In addition to testing in the Autonomous Region of Madeira, 7,483 Covid-19 tests have been carried out in the Portuguese mainland on passengers who had booked flights to Madeira and preferred to be tested before the flight.
These tests were paid for by the Madeira Regional Government and carried out in laboratories it had signed agreements with.
The SRS 24 helpline (Regional Health Service – 800 24 24 20) received 168 calls from Tuesday to Friday. Overall, the total number of calls made to this helpline is 12,566. The Covid-19 mental health helpline (219 212 399 – available
every day from 9h00 to 21h00) that was set up to provide emotional and mental support to Madeira residents has received 2,162 calls, with 182 people being monitored.
More than 100,000 Covid-19 tests processed in Madeira
By Thursday, 100,896 samples for Covid-19 PCR
tests had been processed by the SESARAM (Madeira Health Service) laboratory. Samples have been collected in different places, including at Madeira International Airport, where 58,192 samples have been collected. Testing has also been
carried out in school settings, on care home staff and residents, healthcare professionals, fire-service, housekeepers, prison guards, forest guards, among others.
The team at the laboratory is led by Graça Andrade, a doctor who is a specialist in Clinical pathology. She leads a vast multidisciplinary team, with some responsible for processing samples, some responsible for sample collection in the
community and airports and others dealing with management, acquisition of equipment and planning. The SESARAM laboratory started processing Covid-19 tests on the 29th of February.
Navy reinforces naval presence in Madeira
The Portuguese Navy reinforced its naval presence in the Autonomous Region of Madeira on Thursday, with the deployment of NRP Setúbal due to a forecast of high seas on the islands of Madeira and Porto Santo. The Oceanic Patrol Vessel
will be in the region in order to reinforce the capacity of the regional civil protection in dealing with potential calamity situations or natural disasters and to cooperate with other State institutions that deal with maritime issues.
NRP Setúbal is led by Commander Rui Manuel Zambujo Madeira and has a crew of 46 sailors.
https://www.jm-madeira.pt/regiao/ver/104292/NRP_Setubal_reforca_dispositivo_naval_na_Regiao
Air Force has carried out more than a dozen agent medical evacuation operations in a single week
A patient who had been hospitalised at the health
centre in Porto Santo was airlifted to Hospital Dr. Nélio Mendonça in Funchal. The patient was flown by an Air Force C-295M, based at an air base in Porto Santo, and was taken to hospital by ambulance after landing at Funchal Airport.
This means that from the 7th and 18th of September, the Portuguese Air Force has carried out more than a dozen urgent medical evacuation operations between the islands. This is a very important mission the Air Force has consistently
carried out throughout the years in support of the civilian population.
Fares discount on Madeira-Canary Islands flights
Binter has reduced fares on flights between Madeira and the Canary Islands. The discount will apply to flights booked until the 30th of September, for travel between the 1st of November and the 15th of December. Fares will start at
€70,86 for flights to the Canary Islands on Thursdays and on Sundays. These fares are valid per flight if a return flight is booked but the fare could be different, depending on the route. Checked luggage, seat selection and a
high-quality in-flight service are included in this discount campaign.
Ronaldo asks for Madeira to be voted the best insular destination in Europe
Cristiano Ronaldo used social media once
again to promote Madeira. This time, he asked his followers to vote for the “Pearl of the Atlantic” as the Best European Island 2020. He said Madeira is “safe, amazingly beautiful and incredibly stunning” and that “for me Madeira is
already the best island”. He added that he had already voted for Madeira and finished saying: “Let’s go, let’s take this award to my home Island Madeira”.
Information on how to vote is available on the following website:
https://www.worldtravelawards.com/award-europes-leading-island-destination-2020
Madeira Situation report 14th – 16th September by Daniel Fernandes
Covid-19 update
There were 10 new Covid-19 cases in Madeira since the previous Madeira Situation Report. On Saturday, there was 1 new Covid-19 case (from 1 passenger who had arrived from the Lisbon and Tagus Valley region). On Sunday there were 6 new
Covid-19 cases (from 4 passengers who had arrived from the UK, 1 from Germany and 1 from the Czech Republic) and 1 recovery. On Monday, there was 1 new Covid-19 case from 1 passenger who had arrived from France. And on Tuesday, there
were 2 new cases (from 2 passengers who had arrived from the UK). These new cases were identified through screening at the Region’s airports.
There are currently 52 active cases, of which 40
were imported and identified through screening at Funchal Airport, while the other 12 were a result of a local transmission chain. So far, there have been 190 cases and 138 recoveries. Madeira remains the only Portuguese district
and autonomous region without any deaths from Covid-19.
There are 24 patients in isolation at a dedicated hotel, 27 in isolation at their own accommodation and 1 is in the Covid-19 unit at Dr. Nélio Mendonça Hospital.
There are currently 3 suspected cases under epidemiological investigation and analysis. As of Monday, there had been 1,650 suspected cases, of which 1,460 were not confirmed.
There are 7,838 people under active monitoring and 9,392 people in self-monitoring. Monitoring is being carried out by the health authorities of the Region’s Municipalities through the ‘MadeiraSafetoDiscover’ app.
As for Covid-19 testing on passengers who had arrived at Funchal and Porto Santo airports, 56,843 samples had been collected until Tuesday (at 17h30). Overall, as of Monday, 96,934 samples had been processed in the Autonomous Region of
Madeira.
The SRS 24 helpline (Regional Health Service – 800 24 24 20) received 159 calls from Friday to Tuesday. Overall, the total number of calls made to this helpline is 12,398.
The Covid-19 mental health helpline (219 212 399 – available every day from 9h00 to 21h00) that was set up to provide emotional and mental support to Madeira residents has received 2,140 calls, with 181 people being monitored.
https://www.jm-madeira.pt/regiao/ver/103856/Mais_um_caso_Covid_na_Regiao
https://www.jm-madeira.pt/regiao/ver/103935/Madeira_tem_seis_novos_casos_positivos_de_covid-19
Miguel Albuquerque outraged at weekend gathering
Photos showing crowds gathering outside bars at Zona Velha, without wearing face masks, were uploaded to social media during the weekend. Miguel Albuquerque, President of the Madeira Regional Government, said the gathering was shameful.
He said that gatherings of people without wearing face masks had taken place once again and that such situation is dangerous and cannot be repeated. He begged for people to start to assume a pandemic is still ongoing. He reminded that
last week there number of Covid-19 cases in Portugal was as high as it had been in April.
Teachers who travel outside the Region to be tested twice
Teachers from schools in Madeira who travel outside the Region will be tested twice for Covid-19. The Regional Government took this decision after an increase in the number of Covid-19 cases in mainland Portugal and in several
countries. Miguel Albuquerque, President of the Madeira Regional Government said such teachers will be monitored after a first negative test and returning to school. And for added safety, a second test will be carried out.
PSP to pay special attention to safety during the reopening of schools
The PSP (police) will pay special attention to safety during the reopening of schools. Most schools are reopening today. Once again, the PSP will pay special attention to the safety of all public, private and cooperative schools (except
higher education institutions) and their teachers, staff and students. There will be police teams from the Safe School Program (Programa Escola Segura), traffic, Road Safety and Criminal Investigation divisions. These teams will
specifically focus on the following priorities:
– Compliance with Covid-19 legislation and guidelines
– Prevention of crime and actions that could result in fines and safety promotion during home-school-home travel
– Road traffic safety monitoring
In the field of road safety, the PSP will pay special attention to the safety and restraint systems of children’s vehicles (seat belts and car seats), to the main risk factors (speeding, driving under the influence of alcohol and
narcotics, driving without legal authorisation, disrespect of pedestrian crossings and signage near schools). There will also be inspections at commercial establishments, restaurants, bars, cafés and nightclubs to ensure compliance with
Covid-19 legislation and guidelines and with legislation banning the sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages to minors in public places.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the PSP will only come into contact with students, teachers and staff in school premises if absolutely required. All PSP agents with comply with the official DGS (Direção Geral da Saúde –
Directorate-General of Health) guidelines for schools, including on the use of face masks, if they are required to meet with the school leadership or asked to intervene within a school’s premises.
The PSP has appealed for all citizens to comply with the Covid-19 legislation and guidelines and has asked families to make children aware of the DGS guidelines.
Honorary Consulate of Germany reopened
Sérgio Sousa has become the new Honorary Consul of the Federal Republic of Germany in the Autonomous Region of Madeira, after a 3 year
period without one. The new consul was born, lived
and studied in Munich. He said the lack of a consul had been an issue when attempting to provide assistance to German tourists and residents in Madeira. He specifically mentioned issues such as deaths, accidents, the need for new
passports and requests for financial help. According to SEF (Serviço de Estrangeiros e Fronteiras), 549 German citizens are currently living in Madeira. However, Consul Sérgio Sousa believes the real number is over 1,000. As for German
tourists, it is difficult to know their exact number. He added that at the moment, Madeira is probably the safest Region for tourists to visit. “Martin Ney, the German Ambassador to Portugal, explained sometimes he is unable to provide
emergency assistance, from the Lisbon Embassy, to German citizens in Madeira,.” This is why, he added, honorary-consuls are useful. He also highlighted Sérgio Sousa’s excellent knowledge of the archipelago, which means he will be
Germany’s main representative in Madeira on political, economic, financial, cultural and even military matters.
Bus service disruptions likely due to bus drivers trade union meeting
Grupo Horários do Funchal (Madeira bus company) announced there could be some bus services disruptions between 11h30 and 15h30, due to a staff plenary meeting organised by Syndicate Nacional dos Motoristas (a trade union). Horários do
Funchal has pledged to do everything in its power to minimise any disruption to its bus services, has asked passengers for their understanding and has apologised to passengers for any disruption.
Power cut
Empresa de Electricidade da Madeira (Madeira power supplier) announced there will be power cuts in the following days, due to planned work on the electricity supply network. The following areas will be affected:
FUNCHAL
17th September – 09h00 to 10h00
– Rua do Til (numbers 58 and 83)
SANTANA
17th September – 09h00 to 12h00
– Caminho da Travessa (partial)
– Rua da Igreja (partial)
– Covas, Parlatório, Teleférico da Rocha do Navio and ETAR
However, power could be restored during the time frame mentioned above. So, for safety purposes, it should be assumed that there will be power at any time during this period of time.
If necessary, customers can contact the free Customer Support Service (Serviço de Apoio ao Cliente): 800 221 187.
Madeira Situation report 10th – 12th September by Daniel Fernandes
Covid-19 update
There were 6 new Covid-19 cases in Madeira since the previous Madeira Situation Report. On Wednesday, there were 3 new Covid-19 cases (1 from a passenger who had arrived from the UK and 2 from passengers who had arrived from the Lisbon
and Tagus Valley region) and 6 recoveries. On Thursday there was 1 new Covid-19 case (from a passenger who had arrived from Northern Portugal) and 3 recoveries. And on Friday, there were 2 new Covid-19 cases from 2 passengers who had
arrived from Spain (1 male aged 10-19 and 1 woman aged 20-29) and 1 recovery.
There are currently 43 active cases, of which 30 were imported and identified through screening at Funchal Airport, while the other 13 were a result of a local transmission chain. So far, there have been 180 cases and 137 recoveries.
Madeira remains the only Portuguese district and autonomous region without any deaths from Covid-19.
There are 18 patients in isolation at a dedicated hotel and 25 in isolation at their own accommodation.
There are currently 2 suspected cases under epidemiological investigation and analysis. As of Thursday, there had been 1,640 suspected cases, of which 1,460 were not confirmed.
There are 8,011 people under active monitoring and 9,184 people in self-monitoring. Monitoring is being carried out by the health authorities of the Region’s Municipalities through the ‘MadeiraSafetoDiscover’ app.
As for Covid-19 testing on passengers who had arrived at Funchal and Porto Santo airports, 52,240 samples had been collected until Friday (at 16h30). Overall, as of Monday, 90,699 samples had been processed in the Autonomous Region of
Madeira.
The SRS 24 helpline (Regional Health Service – 800 24 24 20) received 136 calls from Tuesday to Friday. Overall, the total number of calls made to this helpline is 12,239.
The Covid-19 mental health helpline (219 212 399 – available every day from 9h00 to 21h00) that was set up to provide emotional and mental support to Madeira residents has received 2,116 calls, with 181 people being monitored.
Madeira Regional Government reaction to UK travel corridor updates
Miguel Albuquerque, the President of the Madeira Regional Government, reacted positively to England, Wales and Northern Ireland’s decision to keep Madeira in the travel corridor. Unlike passengers travelling from Madeira to England,
Wales and Northern Ireland, passengers travelling from Madeira to Scotland must be in quarantine for 14 days. Although he expressed regret that Mainland Portugal had been removed from the UK travel corridor, he insisted that it was
entirely fair that Madeira had not been removed from it.
He said Madeira does not have a pandemic and has the Covid-19 situation under control. He explained the Regional Government had made very important contacts with the UK Government and that Chris Sainty, the British Ambassador to
Portugal, had played a very important role in taking into account the specific Covid-19 situation in the Autonomous Region of Madeira.
Indeed, Miguel Albuquerque wrote a letter to Ambassador Chris Sainty, expressing his deep gratitude for Mr. Sainty’s communication and kindness as well as for his commitment in ensuring Madeira’s wishes were safeguarded.
Miguel Albuquerque said if it had not been for Chris Sainty’s deep awareness of the specific reality of Madeira, Madeira would have been very unlikely to have been kept on the travel corridor. He finished by pledging that the Regional
Government will keep its consistent and effective work in ensuring an environment of trust and sanitary safety.
He added that it is “very important” for Madeira to be kept on the UK travel corridor so as to enable tourism to continue its gradual recovery. He said that UK tourists account for an important share of tourists to Madeira and that
there is a gradual recovery of tourism from the UK and Germany.
https://funchalnoticias.net/2020/09/11/albuquerque-agradece-empenho-a-embaixador-do-reino-unido/
€11 Million spent on passenger screening
The Madeira Regional Government has already spent about €11 Million on passenger screening operations at the archipelago’s ports and airports. There is no prediction on much it will spend in the future. Miguel Albuquerque, the President
of the Madeira Regional Government, stressed that “there is no other solution until the pandemic is under control or until a vaccine is found”, and this is “the only way to control the pandemic”. He added that “we were pioneers in
controlling entry to and exit from” Madeira, that he thought passenger screening had been “our defence” and “extremely positive for the region”. He finished by saying it will continuing and that there must be money to finance it.
Passenger screening in Madeira started on the 1st of July and upon arrival, passengers must either present evidence of a negative Covid-19 test carried out up to 72 hours before the start of their journey or be tested for Covid-19 test.
Reconstitution of oak tree fall
The reconstitution of the tragic 2017 oak tree fall took place
yesterday. This one of a number of steps that will help Judge Susana Mão de Ferro decide if this case will go to trial. The oak tree fall took place on the 15th of August 2017 and led to the death of 13 people, including a French woman
and a Hungarian woman, and to injuries to 49 people. The oak tree was nearly 200 years old.
https://www.cmjornal.pt/portugal/detalhe/tudo-o-que-se-sabe-sobre-as-vitimas-da-tragedia-na-madeira
Christmas lights and fireworks confirmed for Christmas season
Miguel Albuquerque, the President of the Madeira Regional Government, confirmed that there will be Christmas lighting and fireworks during the Christmas and New Year season. He also said other Christmas and New Year festivities will be
considered depending on the evolution of the pandemic.
Water supply disruption
There will be a water supply disruption on Monday, due to scheduled work on the water supply chain to prevent water leaks. The disruption will take place from 13h30 until 18h00 and will affect Conjunto Habitacional da Achada, in the
parish of Porto da Cruz.
Power cut
Empresa de Electricidade da Madeira (Madeira power supplier) announced there will be power cuts in the following days, due to planned work on the electricity supply network. The following areas will be affected:
MADALENA DO MAR
15th September – 09h00 to 9h15 & 11h50 to 12h00
– Sítio dos Moledos
ARCO DA CALHETA
15th September – 09h00 to 12h00
– Sítio das Florenças; Sítio das Faias; Sítio das Cales e Chada, Loreto and Chã de Cima
CALHETA
15th September – 09h00 to 12h00
– Sítio do Pico Atouguia
However, power could be restored during the time frame mentioned above. So, for safety purposes, it should be assumed that there will be power at any time during this period of time. If necessary, customers can contact the free Customer
Support Service (Serviço de Apoio ao Cliente): 800 221 187.
Madeira Report Wednesday 9th September 2020
Covid-19 update
There were 3 new Covid-19 cases in Madeira since the previous Madeira Situation Report. There were no new Covid-19 cases on Saturday and a patient recovered. There were 2 new cases on Sunday, one from a passenger who had arrived from
the United Kingdom and one as a result of local transmission linked to a recently diagnosed patient. There were no new Covid-19 cases on Monday and a patient recovered. And there was 1 new case on Tuesday, from a passenger who had
arrived from the United Kingdom.
There are currently 47 active cases, of which 31 were imported and identified through screening at Funchal Airport, while the other 16 active cases were a result of a local transmission chain. So far, there have been 174 cases
and 127 recoveries.
There are 22 patients in isolation at a dedicated hotel and 25 in isolation at their own accommodation.
There are currently 4 suspected cases under epidemiological
investigation and analysis. One of the suspected cases is from an individual who was transferred from a hotel to Dr. Nélio Mendonça Hospital. As of Tuesday, there had been 1,634 suspected cases, of which 1,460 were not confirmed.
There are 8,278 people under active monitoring and 9,252 people in self-monitoring. Monitoring is being carried out by the health authorities of the Region’s Municipalities through the ‘MadeiraSafetoDiscover’ app.
As for Covid-19 testing on passengers who had arrived at Funchal and Porto Santo airports, 50,218 samples had been collected until Tuesday (at 16h00). Overall, as of Monday, 86,234 samples had been processed in the Autonomous Region of
Madeira.
The SRS 24 helpline (Regional Health Service – 800 24 24 20) received 357 calls from Friday to Tuesday. Overall, the total number of calls made to this helpline is 12,103.
The Covid-19 mental health helpline (219 212 399 – available every day from 9h00 to 21h00) that was set up to provide emotional and mental support to Madeira residents has received 2,087 calls, with 177 people being monitored.
https://www.jm-madeira.pt/regiao/ver/103200/Dois_novos_casos_por_covid-19_na_Madeira
Schools reopening
The school year in Madeira is starting in the period between the 7th of September and the 11th of September, with classes staring in nursery schools and year 1 to year 9. Secondary school classes will start in the period between the
14th and the 17th of September. There will be about 6,200 teachers and 42,000 students.
The use of face masks is compulsory for students from Year 1 onwards and teachers and other staff will be tested for Covid-19.
A number of changes were introduced in the Region’s 130 schools in
order to minimise the risk of contagion and to ensure assertive action is taken whenever suspected and confirmed cases are identified. There will be different class timetables and classes will start and end at different times to prevent
gatherings at the same time. Some schools opted for two or three different starting times. The timetable was planned in coordination with public transport companies, which made some changes to their services’ timetable. Students were
equally divided into morning and afternoon timetables. Schools also set up different circulation areas. Some schools were even able to set up different patio areas for certain school years and some will have specific break times for
students of the same year.
The guideline for class sizes on years 1, 5 and 10 is usually 20 students per class, although the maximum size is 23 students per class. In most schools, students from the same class will be having classes at the same classroom and each
student will be assigned their own desk. This will allow schools to quickly identify and isolate specific areas if a suspected or confirmed Covid-19 case is identified. Remote teaching and learning will take place if there is a
confirmed case of Covid-19 in a school or class.
Jorge Carvalho, the Madeira Education Secretary, praised the “fantastic work” carried out by the Region’s schools in planning the new school year and said the Covid-19 pandemic almost forced a revolution in organising daily school life.
He highlighted measures such as testing for teachers and staff, the use of face masks by the entire school community, hand-disinfection and said that other less-visible measures were taken to ensure face-to-face teaching is maintained.
He warned the individual behaviour of students and their relatives outside the school premises will be crucial to avoid contagion and to ensure the measures adopted by schools are successful.
Saturday 5th of september
Covid-19 update
There were 9 new Covid-19 cases in Madeira since the previous Madeira Situation Report. There were 4 new Covid-19 cases on Wednesday, three from passengers who had arrived in Madeira and one as a result of the transmission chain in
Porto Santo. There was 1 new case on Thursday, from a passenger who had arrived from the Netherlands. And there were 4 new cases on Friday, one from a passenger who had arrived from Central Portugal and three a result of local
transmission chain linked to an individual from Central Portugal and who had spent a week in the Autonomous Region of Madeira.
There are currently 46 active cases, of which 31 were imported and identified through screening at Funchal Airport, while the other 15 active cases were a result of a local transmission chain. And a patient has recovered. So far, there
have been 171 cases and 125 recoveries.
There are 22 patients in isolation at a dedicated hotel and 24 in isolation at their own accommodation.
There are currently 3 suspected cases under epidemiological investigation and analysis. As of Friday, there had been 1,631 suspected cases, of which 1,460 were not confirmed.
There are 8,253 people under active monitoring and 9,099 people in self-monitoring. Monitoring is being carried out by the health authorities of the Region’s Municipalities through the ‘MadeiraSafetoDiscover’ app.
As for Covid-19 testing on passengers who had arrived at Funchal and Porto Santo airports, 46,387 samples had been collected until Friday (at 17h00). Overall, as of Thursday, 80,282 samples had been processed in the Autonomous Region of
Madeira.
The SRS 24 helpline (Regional Health Service – 800 24 24 20) received 187 calls from Tuesday to Friday. Overall, the total number of calls made to this helpline is 11,746.
The Covid-19 mental health helpline (219 212 399 – available every day from 9h00 to 21h00) that was set up to provide emotional and mental support to Madeira residents has received 2,065 calls, with 175 people being monitored.
https://www.jm-madeira.pt/regiao/ver/102799/Madeira_regista_mais_quatro_casos_por_covid-19
Contingency plan activated after Funchal Municipality worker tested positive for Covid-19
The Municipality of Funchal informed that one of its workers tested positive for Covid-19 after his return from holiday. He did not have any symptoms, had returned from holiday on the 29th of August and had returned to work on Monday.
On Tuesday, he went into isolation in his residence after being informed that a person he had holidayed with had tested positive for Covid-19. He contacted the health authorities and tested positive on Thursday. He is currently
asymptomatic. The Municipality of Funchal activated its internal contingency plan and has been helping to identify all people he had come into contact with. The office where the patient works was thoroughly disinfected.
GNR officers tested negative for Covid-19
All 32 GNR police officers tested negative for Covid-19. They were tested after a colleague tested positive for Covid-19 on the 29th of August. The Madeira Territorial Command of the GNR announced the GNR premises will be thoroughly
disinfected. It also assured that its mission and operations had not been compromised as a result of this situation.
Ventilators donated to Funchal hospital
Grupo Pestana delivered 5 ventilators to Hospital Dr. Nélio Mendonça. The delivery ceremony took place on Friday morning and was attended by Miguel Albuquerque (President of the Madeira Regional Government) and Dionísio Pestana
(President of Grupo Pestana). This was the first delivery of a total of 20 ventilators that Grupo Pestana will donate. Miguel Albuquerque expressed his gratitude for the donation that is worth €420,000. Dionísio Pestana explained he had
been so shocked with the Covid-19 mortality rate, particularly in Italy, that he contacted Miguel Albuquerque in March so as to learn what the Region’s healthcare system required. He was told there was a need for more ventilators.
Miguel Albuquerque also thanked Cristiano Ronaldo for having donated ventilators to the same hospital.
German Honorary Consulate to reopen
The Honorary Consulate of Germany in Madeira will reopen. It had not had an office since 2017. The new office will be located at Edifício Concordia, in Amparo. Sérgio Filipe Correia Sousa will be the Honorary Consul of the Federal
Republic of Germany in the the Autonomous Region of Madeira. He will succeed Ricardo Dumont dos Santos, who had been in office for two decades. The swearing-in ceremony will take place on Thursday, at 18h30, at Forte de São Tiago.
Martin Ney, the German Ambassador, will attend the ceremony.
https://www.jm-madeira.pt/regiao/ver/102840/Consulado_da_Alemanha_reabre_na_Madeira
Madeira situation report from Daniel Fernandes, September 2nd 2020
Covid-19 update
There were 4 new Covid-19 cases in Madeira since the previous Madeira Situation Report. There were no new cases on Saturday and on Sunday. There were 3 new Covid-19 cases on Monday, one from a passenger who had arrived from the Lisbon
and Tagus Valley Region and two from passengers who had arrived from South Africa. There was 1 new case on Tuesday, from a passenger who had arrived from Italy.
As for the Porto Santo transmission chain, the epidemiological
investigation meant 21 people had to go into isolation, with 3 of them testing positive. The remaining 18 people remain in isolation because they could still test positive in the following days.
There are currently 44 active cases, of which 33 were imported and identified through screening at Funchal Airport, while the other 11 active cases were a result of a local transmission chain. So far, there have been 162 cases and 118
recoveries.
There are 22 patients in isolation at a dedicated hotel and 22 in isolation at their own accommodation.
There are currently 5 suspected cases under an epidemiological investigation and analysis. As of Tuesday, there had been 1,621 suspected cases, of which 1,459 were not confirmed.
There are 7,824 people under active monitoring and 9,290 people in self-monitoring. Monitoring is being carried out by the health authorities of the Region’s Municipalities through the ‘MadeiraSafetoDiscover’ app.
As for Covid-19 testing on passengers who had arrived at Funchal and Porto Santo airports, 44,426 samples had been collected until Tuesday (at 18h00). Overall, as of Monday, 77,163 samples had been processed in the Autonomous Region of
Madeira.
The SRS 24 helpline (Regional Health Service – 800 24 24 20) received 201 calls from Friday to Tuesday. Overall, the total number of calls made to this helpline is 11,746.
The Covid-19 mental health helpline (219 212 399 – available every day from 9h00 to 21h00) that was set up to provide emotional and mental support to Madeira residents has received 2,036 calls, with 174 people being monitored.
https://www.jm-madeira.pt/regiao/ver/102619/Tres_novos_casos_de_covid-19_na_Regiao
Madeira to intensify contacts to prevent the end of the UK travel corridor to Madeira
Bookings from the English market increased by 64% in a week, after Portugal was added to the UK travel corridor.
However, after a national increase in Covid-19 cases, there are now fears that Portugal will be removed from the UK travel corridor later in the week, which would mean travellers returning to UK from Portugal would have to go into
quarantine.
These fears led the Madeira Regional Government to send letters to the Portuguese and British Governments, to the UK Ambassador to Portugal and to the Portugal Ambassador to the UK, explaining that the epidemiological situation in
Madeira is different from that in the rest of the country. According to Eduardo Jesus, the Madeira Tourism Secretary, the aim is for regional distinctions to be made so that Madeira is not unfairly punished once again. Indeed, he
reminded that under the European Commission’s guidelines, countries must provide regional data about the Covid-19 pandemic.
30 Covid-19 tests carried out after GNR police officer tested positive
A GNR police officer tested positive for Covid-19. As a result, 30 police officers from the Madeira Territorial Command of the GNR, who had been in close contact with the infected police officer, were tested for Covid-19 and are now
awaiting for the test results.
Mandatory Covid-19 testing for teachers and school staff
From today, all teachers and school staff from Madeira’s primary
schools (1º Ciclo) will be tested for Covid-19. And from the 4th of September, all teachers and school staff from Year 5 to Year 9 schools (2º Ciclo and 3º Ciclo) will tested for Covid-19.
All teachers and school staff who had travelled to the Region or who had returned and carried out a negative Covid-19 test must be tested once again, between 5 and 7 days after the first test. Teachers and school staff in this situation
must inform their school leadership so that a new test can be scheduled.
All testing will be carried out at Escola dos 2.º e 3.º Ciclos Dr. Horácio Bento de Gouveia, just as it happened when kindergartens and nursery schools reopened in May.
All students from schools in the Region will receive 2 reusable face masks, for use in accordance with the health authorities guidelines, and information regarding the new guidelines and contingency plans for their schools. The face
masks are produced in compliance with the health authorities guidelines.
Delay to the return of cruise ships
Miguel Albuquerque, the President of the Madeira Regional Government,
said cruise ships will not be returning to Madeira on the 15th of September, as originally scheduled. He explained this is due to cancellations that followed an increase in Covid-19 cases throughout the world and to cruise companies
that are still not confident with the idea of reopening cruise tours. He added that there is still no idea when cruise ships will be returning because cruise companies are unable to make decisions due to the uncontrolled nature of the
pandemic in the whole of Europe and in the whole world.
https://www.jm-madeira.pt/regiao/ver/102725/Regresso_dos_cruzeiros_a_Regiao_sem_data_definida_
Madeira must not shut its borders again
Miguel Albuquerque, the President of the Madeira Regional Government, said Madeira must not shut its borders again, even though its reopening is a calculated risk. He expressed his satisfaction with the success of the testing and
monitoring systems. However, he also said there had been worrying situations such as the start of a transmission chain in Porto Santo. As a result, he stressed once again the importance for people to comply with the guidelines. He
appealed for people to wear face masks, not to be tempted into keeping too short a distance from other people, to follow the hygiene rules and not to get into gatherings. He reinforced the appeal by describing a bad and risky situation
that took place in the last weekend, in which there were too many people drinking poncha (a traditional Madeira alcoholic drink) while not maintaining social distancing.
Free entry on Porto Moniz natural swimming pools
In September, the Municipality of Porto Moniz is providing free entry to
the municipality’s natural swimming pools under the “Porto Moniz Revitaliza + Voucher Card” scheme. The scheme is aimed at visitors who eat in the municipality’s restaurants or who stay in accommodation in the municipality. Customers
will receive 1 voucher for each €15 spending in a municipality restaurant. For example, a family who spent €45 in a restaurant will receive 3 vouchers for free entry in the natural swimming pools. Customers who stay in accommodation in
the municipality, including local accommodation, will receive 1 voucher per person, no matter how much it cost.
Vouchers can be collected daily, from 10h00 to 18h00, in the customer office (balcão de atendimento) at Espaço Multiusos do Porto Moniz. Receipts proving consumption/stay must be presented so that they can be converted into vouchers.
https://www.facebook.com/portomoniz.pt/photos/a.470543329733051/3268212736632749/?type=3&theater
Water supply disruption
There will be a water supply disruption on Thursday, from 09h00 to 13h00, in the parish of Tabua. The disruption will affect the following areas: Candelária, Lugar da Serra, Lugares, Praia, Ribeira, Terça and Zimbreiros.