Portugal Situation Report Wednesday December 1 2021
Introduction
The Situation of Calamity comes into effect today. As usual in advance of this were various government statements, the official announcement by the Prime Minister, the communique of the Council of Ministers and the various laws introduced over the last three days. With all of this, it can be quite confusing especially when trying to communicate this English. The difference between the word “or” and the word “and” can make all the difference.
Since Thursday we have published a total of nine Facebook posts and have updated our air and land travel pages on our website, have published the Communique and Resolution of the Council of Ministers 157/2021 and updated the All Risk Municipalities page. https://www.safecommunitiesportugal.com/major-incidents/all-risk-municipalities/
We have answered as many questions where we can and we have tried our best to simplify as much of the documentation as possible, so please take time to read these. Yesterday the Government announced the following measures concerning measures to be applied at land borders in the fight against Covid-19 and these are contained in this newsletter and on our website Land and Sea travel page.
Remember that all these changes came into effect last night and remain in place over the Christmas period. The Situation of Calamity allows government to introduce further measure or change current ones if it is considered necessary. An example of this being that the President of the Republic Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa promulgated on Monday the decree that empowers the Government to establish the use of masks in the street without the authorization of the Assembly of the Republic – should it consider the need to do so.
We are now seeing the response by Governments overseas to the Omicron variant, even though the WHO is asking governments worldwide to wait until more is known about this especially its likely severity.
However this has not stopped some governments from taking swift action, such as Portugal banning flights from Mozambique, Switzerland placing Portugal on the list of countries where variants are found to be of concern, and Hong Kong to ban visitors from Portugal, together with several other countries due to Omicron concerns.
This coupled with concerns by some countries with low vaccination rates has led them to take more drastic action such as in Greece, which has decided to make vaccination against Covid mandatory for all citizens over 60 years of age. The measure goes into effect on January 16 and citizens who refuse to be vaccinated incur a monthly fine of 100 euros for each month they do not receive the vaccine, advances Bloomberg. The fines will be imposed by the tax authorities on those who are not vaccinated and the proceeds collected will be donated to hospitals in Greece that are fighting the pandemic. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said this “is not a punishment” but rather “a health tax”.
More on measures some other governments in Europe are taking can be read at my colleague Mike Evan’s excellent overseas report published yesterday here. https://www.safecommunitiesportugal.com/type/situation-reports-overseas/
In Portugal the government has stepped up the roll out of the Covid-19 booster and flu vaccines. More than 104,000 people were vaccinated against the flu and covid-19 in the last 24 hours, most of whom received the booster dose of immunization. About 505,000 elderly people aged 80 and over received this booster dose, close to 390,000 in the 70-79 age group and more than 142,000 in the 65-69 age group.
Regarding the flu, data from the DGS indicate that 1,913,731 people have been vaccinated, 42,148 of whom received the vaccine in the last 24 hours.
In the lead up to Christmas there will be a number of Christmas fairs and other events, some indoors and others outdoors. We have heard of some being cancelled due to Covid-19 concerns. When places are likely to be crowded and inevitably therefore close proximity to others, consider whether the risk is worth it. If deciding to attend try and keep to social distancing where possible and where a facemask. Carry hand sanitiser with you and use it after attending as you would do in a supermarket is a sensible precaution.
Simple measures but will help in reducing the risk.
With that please have a Safe Day
Covid-19 DGS Situation Tuesday 30th November 2021
Confirmed: 1.147.249 (+ 2907 / + 0.25 %)
Admitted: 833 (+ 24 / + 2.97 %)
Admitted to ICU: 116 (+ 5 / + 4.50 %)
Deaths: 18.441 (+ 11 / + 0.06 %)
Recovered: 1.075.237 (+ 3693 / + 0.34 %)
Active cases: 54,368 (-797 / -1.46%)
Hospital admissions are on the rise for the 24th consecutive day, the highest since August. You have to go back to August and September, respectively, to find such high values.
The number of cases rose compared to the day before and is slightly below the average of the last seven days (2990)). However, it is noted that infections are on an increasing trend because the number reported today remains well above the cases of the last 30 days (1886 on average).
The daily number of deaths have decreased over the last four days and also below the average of last week (13.6 deaths). However, they remain above the average of the last 30 days (9.5 deaths).
A welcome decrease in active cases after several days of continuing increases.
Headlines
Travel
Yesterday the Government announced the following measures concerning Measures to be applied at land borders in the fight against Covid-19
“As part of the measures to combat the Covid-19 disease pandemic applied to land borders, which will remain open, the Government determined the following restrictions to be in force from 00.00 hrs on December 1, 2021:
1 – All citizens from countries outside the European Union (EU) and from countries considered to have a red or dark red risk level, when they do not have the EU Covid Digital Certificate (CDCUE) in the test or recovery modalities, must present a of two alternatives:
- a) Laboratory proof of negative PCR test performed in the last 72 hours;
- b) Laboratory proof of rapid antigen test performed in the last 48 hours and with a negative result.
2 – Citizens from EU countries considered to be at low or moderate risk must have CDCUE, in the form of vaccination, testing or recovery.
3 – Cross-border workers – considered as such for carrying out their professional activity within 30 kilometres of the border – and workers in essential services (such as transport of goods and passengers, emergency and relief, security and emergency services) must present the Digital Certificate in any of the three modalities.
The Republican National Guard (GNR) and the Foreigners and Borders Service (SEF) will carry out random inspection operations at border crossing points. Anyone who does not present one of the aforementioned certificates or evidence is notified to carry out a screening test for the SARS-CoV-2 virus – at the citizen’s own expense – in places indicated by the health authorities, which must be within a radius of 30 kilometres from the inspection site and where citizens must wait for the respective result.
Anyone who does not present proof of testing to Covid-19 or refuses to take one of the aforementioned tests is sanctioned with a fine of 300 to 800 euros.
EU Council analyses “emergency brake” applied by Portugal
The information was advanced by the spokesman of the European Commission for the area of Justice, Christian Wigand.
Portugal’s decision to limit freedom of movement due to the covid-19 situation will be analysed by the competent bodies of the Council of the European Union (EU), namely the IPCR, which share information, the European Commission said yesterday.
The “emergency brake” is provided for in the EU Council’s recommendation on freedom of movement in the face of the pandemic, and Portugal’s notification of the obligation for all passengers to present a negative test to covid-19 should be debated “in the appropriate instances ” and which include, by way of information sharing, the EU’s integrated mechanism for a political-level reaction in crisis situations (IPCR) of the Council.
The information was advanced by the spokesman of the European Commission for the area of Justice, Christian Wigand, in the daily press conference of the community executive.
As of Wednesday, December 1st, all passengers entering Portugal by land, air and sea – regardless of their origin and whether they are holders of an EU Covid-19 Digital Certificate – must present a negative test to covid-19.
The European Commission is continuing its analysis of the notification received from Portugal, and has not yet taken any position.
Travel
Covid-19: authorities explain test requirement to enter mainland territory
Control at airports should not be seen “as a threat” but as “an opportunity” to break transmission chains.
ANA Aeroportos, Regional Health Administration of Lisbon and Vale do Tejo (ARSLVT), PSP and SEF explained, this Tuesday, the rules for the entry of passengers into mainland territory, highlighting the obligation to present a test in addition to the digital certificate.
“The airport is a sensitive entry point for people in Portugal and, instead of being seen as a threat, it should be seen as an opportunity to control the transmission chains of the virus in Portugal”, said Bruno Castro, a doctor specializing in Public Health ARSLVT, at a press conference held at Humberto Delgado airport, in Lisbon.
Bruno Castro continued to explain the new rules due to the worsening epidemiological situation of covid-19, mainly because of the new Ómicron variant, originally detected in South Africa and which already has 13 cases in Portugal, stressing that “all other procedures already in articulation will be reinforced, for this ultimate goal of not importing new transmission chains” of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
“From 00:00, all citizens will have to present a test at the time of boarding. If this test is not presented, the passenger may not board and airlines will be subject to fines. There is also a recommendation to complete the Passenger Locator Form (passenger location form) for faster and more efficient action by health authorities,” he declared.
In addition to airlines, which can incur a fine of between 20,000 and 40,000 euros per passenger, travellers are also subject to administrative offenses for not presenting a test upon arrival, which can range from 300 to 800 euros.
Health
Portugal is the 7th European country with the fewest new daily cases per million inhabitants
Portugal is the seventh country in the European Union (EU) with the fewest new daily cases of infection by SARS-CoV-2 per million inhabitants in the last seven days, according to the statistical website Our World in Data
With 286 new daily cases per million inhabitants in the last week, Portugal is far from the EU average (576 new daily cases per million inhabitants) and countries with the newest daily cases: Slovakia, with 2040 cases, Czech Republic, with 1830, Belgium (1480), Austria (1370), Netherlands (1310), Croatia (1150), Slovenia (1150) and Hungary (1040).
These numbers of new daily cases per million inhabitants are also the highest in the world among countries with more than one million inhabitants.
In terms of daily deaths per million inhabitants, Portugal is the eighth country in the EU with the fewest deaths attributed to covid-19, with an average of 1.35 in the last seven days.
In this indicator, the European average is 4.03, and the worst numbers, both at European and world level, are located to the east: Bulgaria (17.57), Hungary (16.1), Croatia (15.96) , Latvia (15), Czech Republic (11.32) and Slovakia (10.8).
The world average of new daily cases per million population stands at 71, while globally there were 0.88 new daily deaths per million population attributed to covid-19.
Omicron enforces test reinforcement for all infected contacts
Portugal already has 13 cases of infection with the new variant. To prevent its spread, testing to contacts begins on the first day of diagnosis of the infected case. DGS confirmed to DN that the measure is temporary and that it could end as soon as it learns more about this new variant.
The new variant, Omicron, has already led to changes in testing methodology in Portugal. Until now, the rule was to test an infected persons high-risk contacts on the 5th and 10th day, but the new variant has already caused this to be changed. Testing the contacts of an infected person will be carried out on the first day of diagnosis. It was like that in the players and staff of Belenenses SAD, where yesterday the first positive cases to Omicron were diagnosed in Portugal (13 in total). And so will all contacts infected with this new variant.
As confirmed to the DN source of the communication office of the Directorate-General for Health, “the measure is temporary and applied when cases of a new variant are identified”, and it may “cease as soon as the characteristics of Omicron are better known”.
It should be recalled that the director-general of Health, Graça Freitas, in statements yesterday to TSF radio, warned that this new variant requires more rigorous testing”, thus forcing more tests to be carried out with the aim of breaking it. transmission chains as quickly as possible, as, at this time, all available data indicate that this variant has a higher degree of transmissibility than Delta, although less severe.
Legislation
Use of Facemasks in streets
The President of the Republic Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa promulgated on Monday the decree that empowers the Government to establish the use of masks in the street without the authorization of the Assembly of the Republic
On Monday, the President of the Republic Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa enacted the decree enabling the Government to establish the use of masks in the street without the authorization of the Assembly of the Republic.
In a note released on Monday night on the Presidency’s official website, the promulgation of the “decree that establishes the conditions for determining, exceptionally, the mandatory use of masks for access, circulation or permanence in spaces and public roads”.
On Friday, parliament approved the PS project that enables the Government to decree the use of masks in the street without the authorization of the Assembly of the Republic, a diploma that will expire on March 1, 2022.
The PS law provides for a “transitional regime of mandatory use of masks in public spaces”, the need for which will be decided by the Government.
“If the measure appears necessary, adequate and proportional to the prevention, containment or mitigation of epidemiological infection by covid-19, the Government may, through the Resolution of the Council of Ministers declaring a situation of alert, contingency or calamity, determine the obligation the use of masks by people aged over 10 years for access, circulation or permanence in public spaces and streets whenever the physical distance recommended by the health authorities proves impractical”, states the diploma.
As for the conditions that determine this need, the bill only mentions that it will be “measured based on data on the evolution of the pandemic, namely based on the increase in the number of infections and the rate of disease transmissibility”, without quantifying it.
An article that defines the termination of this initiative on March 1, 2022 was added to the project at the end of the debate.
Other news
Ryanair will have 17 more routes from Portugal next summer.
The airline announced on Monday the schedule for next summer and, among the news is that the carrier will start having connections from Lisbon to: Bari, Madeira, Oujda, Venice and Poitiers.
From Faro it will add a route to Luxembourg and from Porto it will have three more connections: Billund, Madeira and Verona.
And from Madeira to have routes to: Brussels, Dublin, Lisbon, London, Manchester, Marseille, Milan, Nuremberg, Paris and Porto.
“With fares starting at just 29.99 euros, Portuguese citizens and other visitors will be able to travel to destinations such as Billund, Dublin and Venice, and enjoy a well-deserved break in 2022. Ryanair leads Portugal’s post-Covid recovery, as it accelerates the growth of traffic and employment in the next 5 years. Having added 560 new routes and inaugurated 15 new bases this year, Ryanair has been growing in the country and, in the summer of 2022, will have 65 new aircraft B737-8200 ‘Gamechanger'”, says Ryanair in a statement.
Ryanair considers that TAP should release more than two hundred slots – slots that allow planes to take off and land – at Lisbon airport, thus allowing for greater competition.
“We think that TAP should release at least 250 slots per week” at Lisbon airport, said Michael O”Leary, CEO of Ryanair, at a press conference in Lisbon. The official accused the Portuguese carrier of blocking these slots, proceeding only the cancellation of flights two to three weeks in advance, preventing other companies from using them. And he gave some numbers.
According to the presentation by Michael O”Leary, between November 15 and November 21, 2019, TAP carried out 1255 flights, and in the same period this year the Portuguese company had 1017 slots, thus having a cut of 31% of the flights. Looking at the period November 22 and November 28, TAP in 2019 carried out 1248 flights. In the same period this year, TAP had 1019 slots, which represents a 30% cut. TAP to free unused slots in Lisbon”, he reiterated.
Minister of National Defence highlights the need for cooperation between the EU and NATO
The Minister of National Defence, João Gomes Cravinho, referred to the need for cooperation between the European Union and NATO, to develop “collective response mechanisms” against phenomena such as “disinformation, the instrumentalisation of migrants or cyberattacks”, which threaten democracy.
João Gomes Cravinho spoke at the opening of the 3rd edition of the Defence seminar, at the National Defence Institute (IDN), in Lisbon, where he also stated that this close cooperation is essential «to develop adequate collective response mechanisms against new methodologies of our adversaries”.
Concerning the “end of the period of unipolar US predominance in the post-Cold War and a harbinger of multi-polarity”, João Gomes Cravinho said that the “partnership between the European Union and NATO is a necessary and vital part of the transatlantic response to this new context’, without the EU losing its strategic autonomy.
The Minister also warned of the existence of “unconventional armed conflicts”, adding that “if the great conventional wars have practically disappeared in recent decades, this fact is far from being synonymous with peace”; on the contrary, “we see an increasing tendency for the proliferation of unconventional threats by non-state armed groups, which are often transnational and well equipped.”
João Gomes Cravinho said that “the use, by some States, of unconventional instruments to fuel indirect conflicts, in the context of so-called hybrid threats”, is equally worrying, and therefore the Armed Forces must “prepare for a more complex battlefield and more unpredictable’.
The Minister also recalled the recent reform in the superior structure of the Armed Forces, approved in 2020, which aimed “precisely to strengthen joint command structures and their capacity for integrated operational response”, namely in the face of hybrid threats, but also “civil emergencies from climate change or pandemics’.