Algarve Situation Report Wednesday 16^th February 2022

CHUA opens new Electroencephalography Laboratory

The Cento Hospitalar Universitário do Algarve CHUA inaugurated today, Monday, February 14th, the new facilities of the Electroencephalography Laboratory (EEG) of the Neurophysiology Unit, as well as a new high-tech EEG equipment.

This new equipment helps in the diagnosis of various neurological diseases, allowing EEGs to be performed in an outpatient setting, continuous EEGs in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Video-EEG monitoring with night sleep, among other tests.

“The new laboratory will be an asset for CHUA and above all for its users, improving the response of Neurophysiology to the entire population of the Algarve. The new features of electroencephalography allow CHUA to become a reference centre in the area, focusing on innovation and qualification of the offer in Neurophysiology and responding to the needs of the adult and paediatric population”, said the Coordinating Technician, Ana Magalhães.

Present at the ceremony, the Clinical Director of CHUA, Horácio Guerreiro, highlighted “the importance of investing in cutting-edge technology as a key aspect for quality in the provision of differentiated care”, as well as for “the retention and attraction of health professionals, who are now beginning to find in CHUA more opportunities for clinical and technical differentiation».

São Brás de Alportel celebrates the centenary of the first air crossing of the South Atlantic

São Brás de Alportel is on the map of the national celebrations of the centenary of the air crossing of the South Atlantic (100TAAS), carried out by two aviators of the Portuguese navy Gago Coutinho and Sacadura Cabral. As important as the trip was the fact that the navigation devices, designed by Gago Coutinho, which marked the history of world aviation, were tested.

On the 17th of February, the 153rd anniversary of the birth of Gago Coutinho will be celebrated in the municipality of São Brás de Alportel with an opening ceremony of the commemorative program, a lecture and the inauguration of the traveling exhibition “1st aerial crossing of the Atlântico Sul” which will be on display until February 27, at the atrium of the Covered Municipal Swimming Pools, at 17:00. This exhibition was prepared by the Air Naval Commission for the Centenary Celebration of the South Atlantic Air Crossing (100TAAS).

On the 27th of February, the Nature Walk Cycle will also be dedicated to Gago Coutinho, showing the “Rota Gago Coutinho – Geodesy in São Brás de Alportel”, a route through the 14 geodesic landmarks of the São Brasense territory, recently requalification.

The opening ceremonies of this program take place right next to the artistic replica of the seaplane “Santa Cruz, by Carlos de Oliveira Correia, which since March 30, 2017, the date that marked the 95th anniversary of Travessia, is located next to Rua Dr. Alberto de Sousa, in the outer space of the Municipal Covered Swimming Pools.

With more than 20 tons of iron and a wingspan of more than 14 meters, the replica of the “Santa Cruz” appears as a reference in São Brás de Alportel, dignifying the History of Portugal. The replica of one of the seaplanes used by Gago Coutinho and Sacadura Cabral for the first aerial crossing of the South Atlantic is part of the program to celebrate the centenary of the crossing.

Drought: Irrigation in the Algarve divides environmentalists from authorities and producers

Newsroom, Feb 15, 2022 (Lusa) – The lack of water is causing concern in the agricultural sector in the Algarve, but while environmentalists demand limitations on irrigation, especially for avocados, authorities and producers are calling for diversification of reserves and greater efficiency in consumptions.

Speaking to Lusa, Cláudia Sil, from the Sustainable Water Platform (PAS), considered that the growing focus on avocado crops is “harmful” for the water reserves that exist in the Algarve and warned that this “is not an autochthonous species” and represents “a culture that needs water permanently”.

“The avocado tree is not autochthonous, it is a species that evolved adapting to a tropical climate, and one of the characteristics of a tropical climate is that it has a lot of water, therefore, it is a crop that needs water permanently. At this moment, it is already possible to see yellowed avocado crops in the Algarve, so the avocado tree is suffering from a lack of water,” he said.

For Cláudia Sil, the avocado “is a crop that effectively consumes a lot of water”, considering that it is necessary to “analyse the cultivation methods” of these irrigated plantations, because “the more plants per hectare” there are “the more resources and the more water” there is, while the profit remains only for the producers.

“Irrigated agriculture is totally discouraged in the region, orchards with great irrigation needs should not be developed, what we advocate are alternative crops, with other cultivation methods, such as relishing the rain fed crop”, he said.

The regional director of Agriculture and Fisheries, Pedro Monteiro, acknowledged that the region is in a “complicated situation”, with “a substantial part of the Algarve already in extreme drought”, but underlined that “agriculture is increasingly dependent on water, as like other economic activities”, and that the lack of water is also felt in rain fed fruit trees, such as almonds, carob or figs.

“This poses a huge challenge for agriculture, it has to be more efficient in the application of water to the plot, to the plant, more efficient also in the distribution of water, namely, in hydro-agricultural uses”, he considered, quantifying the 2,050 hectares of land, existing avocado orchards in the region, with an annual production of 15,000 tons.

On the producer side, he added to Lusa, there is an “increasing focus on technology that allows for intelligent water monitoring” to “measure the amount of moisture that exists in real time in the soil” and “apply only water to the soil “and plant according to what is strictly necessary”.

 

Algarve Situation Report Wednesday 9^th February 2022

Covid-19: Demand for the Algarve rises with end of test on arrival

The end of the obligation to present a negative test for covid-19 on arrival in Portugal is “very positive” and is causing a “significant” increase in demand in the region, the president of the main regional hotel association told Lusa today.

The president of the Association of Hotels and Tourist Enterprises of the Algarve (AHETA), Hélder Martins, said that the upward trend is confirmed in areas such as meetings and congresses or golf, but acknowledged that it is too early to quantify the increase, because the tourists who arrived today to Faro airport “they still didn’t know” that the measure is already in force.

“For our part, we see it as very positive and it is one of several measures that will have to appear. It is a sign, first, that the pandemic is losing ground and that we are able to resume our freedoms and, on the other hand, towards a destiny tourist destination such as the Algarve, it is extremely important that tourists have the least barriers to entry to the destination”, he said.

The mandatory negative test for the SARS-CoV-2 virus to enter Portugal ended at 00:00 today, with the presentation of a covid-19 digital certificate or a recognized proof of vaccination.

According to the new president of AHETA, elected at the end of January and replacing Elidérico Viegas, who was president of the association for 26 years, despite the low season, “the indicators that exist for the coming times are positive”, because “demand has grown”.

The same source said he hopes that the lifting of restrictions will continue and “that this will bring the stability that the Algarve needs to continue the recovery of a destination that has been so affected in the last two years” by the restrictive measures applied to travel and entry into the country due to the covid-19 pandemic.

Centro Hospitalar do Algarve fined for leaving compress on user’s body

Lisbon, Feb 08, 2022 (Lusa) – The Health Regulatory Entity (ERS) has opened an administrative offense against Centro Hospitalar do Algarve EPE for forgetting a compress on the body of a user during a caesarean, a failure that the hospital had already also committed in 2018.

According to the text of the deliberation, the ERS says that the case dates back to January 2021, when a user underwent a caesarean section. Days after discharge, the patient returned to the hospital twice, with complaints of malaise and increasing pain.

The ERS explains that after the second return to the hospital, after examinations, the user underwent surgery to remove “a stranger” (a compress) that had been forgotten during the caesarean section, a fact assumed by the hospital with the user, who admitted that “the existence of an instrumental nurse in the teams could minimize this type of incident”.

The regulator also recalls that the health unit had already been the subject of another lawsuit for a similar situation (forgetting a compress in the mouth of a patient after surgery) and, since it did not respect the previous instructions of the ERS, it was decided to open an infringement process.

Since failure to comply with a rule or decision by the ERS is punished with a fine of between 1,000 euros and 44,891.81 euros, “an administrative offense proceeding was initiated against the Centro Hospitalar Universitário do Algarve, EPE”, explains the regulator, insisting that “the provider again committed the same negligent conduct and disrespect for the users’ right to access quality health care”.

“With his conduct, the provider disrespected the instruction that was previously issued to him due to identical facts”, underlines the ERS, insisting on the need for the hospital to “provide for the adequate allocation of instrumental nurses to the surgical teams”.

PSP caught burglar of houses in Portimão

A 24-year-old man, who was detained by the Public Security Police – PSP, was presented yesterday at the Criminal Investigation Court of Portimão, for first interrogation, for evidence of the practice of an attempted aggravated theft crime and two crimes of aggravated burglary.

According to a statement from the Faro District Attorney’s Office in March 2019, “in an urbanization in Portimão, the detainee went to a house, broke the glass in a kitchen window, entered the house and went to the living room, in which he was surprised by the owner’.

During this month, in the same urbanization, the individual went to a house, “climbed the surrounding wall and went to the back of the building where the glass in a kitchen window broke. After being able to enter the house, he remained inside for several days, having appropriated goods and drinks.

On February 5, in that urbanization, he went to another house, “opened the gate of the wall that enclosed it, accessed the main door and entered the house, having appropriated clothes and a cell phone, from the entrance hall.

Present in court, the detainee with a criminal record for crimes against property, was awaiting trial in preventive detention.

GNR seizes about 700 kilos of hashish in Fuseta

The Coastal Control Unit of the National Republican Guard (GNR) yesterday seized around 700 kg of hashish in Fuseta.

The Coastal Control Unit of the National Republican Guard (GNR), through the Olhão Coastal Control Sub-detachment, yesterday, Sunday, February 6, seized about 700 kilograms (kg) of hashish at the Fuseta Fishing Port, in the municipality from Olhao.

As part of its mission of surveillance, control and patrolling of the coast and territorial sea, in particular in the fight against narcotics trafficking by sea, the Integrated Surveillance, Command and Control System (SIVICC) detected a vessel sailing in hiding of lights and with a suspicious behaviour near Barra da Fuseta.

In view of the suspicions raised, Guard resources were immediately mobilized to the place, with the aim of approaching the suspicious vessel that, moments later, entered the Fuseta Fishing Port.

Following the police action, it was possible to intercept the vessel, which contained approximately 700 kilos of hashish (20 bales), thus preventing the disembarkation of the narcotic product and safeguarding the evidence.

So far it has not been possible to identify the suspects, who fled on foot in the presence of the GNR means.

 

Algarve Situation Report Wednesday 2^nd February 2022

Covid-19 Algarve is the mainland region with the fewest new cases of Covid-19, hospitalizations fall

The Algarve is the region of mainland Portugal with the lowest number of new cases of Covid-19 (+1,738), with hospitalizations falling nationally, both in the ward and in Intensive Care Units. The data are from the bulletin of the Directorate-General for Health this Tuesday, February 1st, which has just been released.

Faro postmen advance to partial strike from 1^st to 7^th February

The mailmen from Faro decided today to carry out a two-hour partial strike between Tuesday 1^st and 7^th February, to demand “better working conditions”, a union source told Lusa.

The partial stoppage, which will take place daily between 8:30 am and 10:30 am, was decided today in a plenary session of workers at the Postal Distribution Centre (CDP) in Faro, José Oliveira, from the National Union of Postal Workers, and Telecommunications (SNTCT).

“The company did not meet the demands of the workers, that is, the hiring of more professionals to ensure the postal distribution and change the turns, hence the decision to go on strike”, pointed out the union leader.

José Oliveira considered that the company “had enough time to respond to the postmen’s wishes, because the stoppage was announced in a timely manner and changed twice”.

This is the second change in the strike, after, on December 30, also in plenary, workers postponed the strike due to compliance with quarantines due to the covid-19 pandemic, which prevented the holding of a meeting and the compliance with the legally established deadlines to maintain the strike.

“In addition to the lack of people to ensure the distribution service in Faro, the company ended two work contracts a few days ago, which seems to mean that the Faro staff must have a postal service with more quality”, he stated.

According to the leader of the SNTCT, during the period of the strike, the postmen “will be on the street distributing documents to the population, where they explain the refusal to accept the conditions in which they work”.

Free flu vaccine at eight pharmacies in Portimão

Influenza vaccine can be inoculated free of charge at eight pharmacies in Portimão until March 31.

A total of 1800 people from Portimão aged 60 or over, as long as they are users of the National Health Service (SNS), can be vaccinated free of charge against the flu, without the need for a medical prescription, until March 31.

Just go to one of the eight community pharmacies that adhered to the protocol established at the end of 2021 between the municipality of Portimão, the National Association of Pharmacies and Farminveste.

The municipality made available 4,500 euros for the implementation of this protocol, which aims to reinforce the preventive immunization underway at the Portimão Vaccination Centre and in the municipality’s primary health care units.

Free vaccination is maintained for people over six months and under 60 years of age who suffer from chronic diseases, as well as citizens over the age of 65, pregnant women, health professionals, other care providers, firefighters, or professionals from kindergartens, day care centers and the like, as well as staff working in prison establishments.

Bomb threat at Algarve Shopping came from an employee

The bomb threat that occurred on Friday afternoon, at Algarve Shopping, in Guia, Albufeira, came from an employee of the shopping centre, according to Correio da Manhã.

This led to the evacuation of around 300 people, most of them workers at the shopping centre.

The veracity of the bomb threat was eventually ruled out, after an on-site inspection, by the GNR’s explosives inactivation section.

The Judicial Police is investigating the motivations that led to the act. 

Seven-year-old girl dies in accident in Loulé

A seven-year-old girl died on Monday, the victim of a violent accident followed by the overturning of a jeep in Monte da Charneca, parish of Alte, municipality of Loulé.

According to Correio da Manhã, after the alert at 16:54, “the rescue teams found the child in cardiorespiratory arrest, and recovery was not successful”.

The child’s mother, who was not injured, was in the vehicle, confirms the same source.

There were 22 operatives on site, supported by 8 vehicles from the Loulé and Messines Fire Brigade, INEM and GNR.

Maritime Police find six boats fishing in APPA da Armona

Six boats that were fishing in the Pilot Area of ​​Aquaculture Production (APPA) of Armona, where navigation is prohibited, were intercepted yesterday morning by the Maritime Police of Olhão, which issued reports to the non-compliance.

According to the Maritime Authority, in the place where the vessels were detected, there are “establishments for cultures in marine waters” and “navigation is prohibited, except for vessels used by the owners of the establishments located there and surveillance and emergency vessels”.

The authority explains that this area is “duly delimited and marked on nautical charts”.

The Local Command of the Maritime Police of Olhão «will maintain the monitoring and inspection of this area, emphasizing that the presence of vessels in the Armona APPA constitutes a danger for navigation and for the people on board, with the risk of possible damage to the structures of the establishments and damage to the activities carried out there.

 

Algarve Situation Report Wednesday 26^th January 2022

Loulé Council halts project to install a new “waste management unit” in the municipality

The Municipality of Loulé reported that it had approved, for the third time, preventive measures (with the consequent suspension of the Loulé PDM in force) in order to stop the progress of projects that “may jeopardize the environment and quality of life of the populations”.

This Monday, in a city council session, the Municipality explains that it was unanimously decided to institute this measure in an area of ​​8.5 hectares in the area of ​​the former Matos da Picota quarry, where the developer Blueotter Circular, SA intends to install a management unit for waste.

In a statement, the Municipality of Loulé assumes that the decision taken “is based on the manifest public interest of safeguarding and protecting the environment of the entire area and public health and also took into account the concerns of the surrounding population, the recommendation of the Municipal Assembly unanimously approved on December 3, 2021, as well as the deliberation of the Chamber of December 20».

The municipality says that it is aware that «the environmental impacts resulting from the possible installation of industrial activities (namely activities of the nature that, at the present time, are intended to be installed there), are negative and of great importance, in an area and area greatly punished by the fact that, for decades, highly polluting industrial units that were harmful to public health have worked there. 

Fourth Portuguese Jewish Community makes official address in the Algarve

On the eve of the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Holocaust, the Jewish Community of the Algarve announces its establishment as an official Religious Community.

The Jewish Community of the Algarve (CJA) becomes the fourth official Jewish community in Portugal, having been registered as a Religious Collective Person (non-Catholic) on Tuesday, January 4, in the National Register of Legal Persons.

The lengthy process of recognizing the organization was approved by the Religious Freedom Commission, chaired by José Vera Jardim.

This is the first time that a Jewish community has been recognized by the Religious Freedom Act, legislation that recently celebrated its 20th anniversary.

Being the most recent community with this specific legal figure, it will perhaps be the one that has the closest proximity to an extraordinary and ancient legacy of Jewish presence in Portugal, with almost two millennia.

The traces of the confirmed presence of these communities date back at least to the 4th century with the discovery in Silves of the tombstone of Yehiel from the year 390 of the Common Era, the oldest in the Iberian Peninsula. 

Legislative: PS Algarve applauds “new” Hospital in Lagos and asks for opportunity to build central hospital in the Algarve

The inclusion since today of the former private Hospital São Gonçalo de Lagos in the National Health Service, thus replacing the old hospital in Lagos “is excellent news” for the populations of Lagos, Vila de Bispo and Aljezur, advances the PS Algarve in a statement released.

Jamila Madeira, head of the list of the Socialist Party in the Algarve, expressed “enormous” satisfaction at the conclusion of this process, recalling that the PS deputies presented an initiative in the Assembly of the Republic in which they underlined the importance of the Government to enable a modern hospital response that is up to the needs of the populations of “Terras do Infante”.

The former Assistant Secretary of State for Health congratulated the board of directors of CHUA and all the mayors involved in this solution for the former Lagos Hospital, adding that this announced New Year’s gift «is an excellent contribution to strengthening the quality of the National Service of Health in the Algarve and in the counties of the southwest Alentejo».

Reaffirming that with the PS the new Central Hospital «is really going ahead» and that once the legal uncertainties regarding the contract suspended in 2011 are overcome, the PS Government will proceed with the signing of the contract for the award of the work, Jamila Madeira asked the Algarve for a second opportunity for the PS to comply with the construction of the new central hospital in the Algarve: “who believes that the PSD will spend 300 million euros on a public hospital when its leader defends that the National Health Service should be only for the poor and who has money should pay for health? Who believes that the right that wants to end free health care and put the private in competition with the public again would build a new hospital for the poor and indigent?”

The Judicial Police arrested a man, about 34 years old, suspected of committing a crime of arson.

The PJ said in a statement that the facts refer to a fire that occurred in the early hours of January 22, which broke out inside a house located in São Brás de Alportel, “in which the property had been recovered by the Municipality, with a view to rent at affordable prices’.

The detainee will be presented to the Judiciary Authority to apply the coercive measures.