Algarve Situation Report Wednesday November 4th 2020

Ualg researchers study the impact of quarantine on the mental health of the Portuguese during the Covid-19

Women and young people were twice as likely to be depressed and anxious during imposed confinement to stop the Covid-19 pandemic in Portugal, preliminary data from a study revealed yesterday, by Ualg – University of the Algarve.

Speaking to Lusa, the person responsible for the study in Portugal said that depressive symptoms are more easily found in “women and people dissatisfied with their health and economic income” and who referred to being “unspiritual”, to which young people are added, in the case of anxiety.

“There is a prevalence of depressive symptoms and generalized anxiety more evident in women, twice as much as in men, and the younger they are, the more it is evident, being twice as likely as the rest of the population”, revealed Helena José.

The international study on the impact of confinement on mental health, coordinated in Portugal by researchers from the University of Algarve, was based on surveys conducted in May with a total of 918 people, between 15 and 80 years old, residing in mainland Portugal and Islands.

The data seems to reveal that age and marriage are “protective factors”, with the possibility that life experience can “create some resilience” to adversity, as well as a life together, the researcher said.

“The younger they are, the more anxious they are, with women accumulating: they are more depressed and more anxious”, he stressed.

One piece of data that seems to have surprised the researchers was an expected increase in alcohol consumption, still “below what was expected,” added Helena José.

With the final results of this first sampling to be known in three weeks, there are still some “relationships and lessons” that the team will seek to remove from the correlation between the data collected.

The São Brás de Alportel Municipal Committee of the Portuguese Communist Party considers that the measures imposed by the Government “are disproportionate”.

At issue is the approval on the 30th of October, of the resolution of the Council of Ministers that renewed the calamity situation in the entire continental national territory, and extended the special measures that had been adopted to other municipalities, with some additional changes being introduced.

The special measures cover new municipalities taking into account the number of cases per 100,000 inhabitants, in which the municipality of São Brás de Alportel was included in the list of 121 “high risk of contagion”. The PCP underlines in a statement that this epidemic outbreak poses health, economic and social problems “that are not resolved by limiting rights and creating climates of fear”.

In the set of measures to be applied, it was highlighted, for example, the penalty of the marketers with the decision to close fairs and markets, keeping on the other hand the large areas in activity, “which would only contribute to aggravate not only the difficulties, the feeling of despair within this sector”, he notes.

With the Government apparently partially backing away, now leaving the decision in the hands of the local authorities, the party consider that “there will be no reason” for this sector to be penalized in São Brás de Alportel, “always guaranteeing compliance with the DGS indications”.

79-year-old foreign national is the first fatal victim of Covid-19 in Olhão

A 79-year-old foreign national, residing in Olhão, is the most recent victim of Covid-19 in the Algarve, being the first recorded death in this municipality, according to a regional Health Authority source.

According to this source, the man, who had other “associated morbidities”, was admitted to the Portimão Hospital.

The most recent data from the Regional Health Authority, indicate that there are 1006 active cases in the region, and the municipality of São Brás de Alportel was the one that registered, this Saturday, the biggest increase in the number of cases (17).

The new cases detected in the municipality of São Brás de Alportel are related to the outbreak in the Lar da Santa Casa da Misericórdia, which, according to the municipality, is already responsible for 28 infections.

The number of people hospitalized has decreased. There are now 29 people in hospitals in the region, three of them in intensive care units. There are no ventilated patients.

Algarve Situation Report 31st October

Covid-19 Situation

The number of new cases in the Algarve reported by ARS yesterday 56. There are noe 879 active cases of whom 34 are in hospital a 3 in ICU.The number of deaths now stands at 34. There are 2723 cases confirmed to date with 1810 recovering giving a recovery rate of 66.5%

Two specific outbreaks

A total of 15 cases of infection with the new coronavirus were detected in the Portimonense under-23 football team and 14 during the Portuguese Formula One Grand Prix, the regional health authority said on Friday.The regional health delegate revealed that “two players” tested positive in the tests carried out before the match for the game in Madeira, leaving the authorities “on alert”. On the return, there was a new test, and the other cases were detected.At the usual fortnightly press conference to assess the epidemiological situation in the Algarve region, Ana Cristina Guerreiro said that the players are “in isolation”, a situation facilitated by the fact that “many live together”, with “active surveillance” being guaranteed.

As the team’s journey involved two plane flights, a communication was required to the Directorate-General for Health, which asked the air carrier to identify the other passengers to be contacted. Asked by journalists about the possible preventive isolation of the team before the flight, she replied that “football has other rules”.

Following the F1 Grand Prix in Portimão, which took place last weekend , the official revealed that “14 cases of covid-19 were identified in team members”, most of them detected in the tests carried out between 20 and 29 October and “one or the other due to symptoms” and use of health facilities in the region. Ana Cristina Guerreiro assured that in case of outbreaks as a result of this event, there is a way to know “in most of the stands”, who was there, since there is “identification by ticket”.

However, the “displacement” of some spectators on the same stand or the “replacement of people” may “make identification difficult” and “it will be up to the person to indicate the contacts”.

Having been present at last weekend’s event in Portimão, the official revealed some situations that “did not work very well” and that she would like to see changed in future events of the kind. The permission that was given to the public to “change places” is one of the points, since the “plan was with tickets with numbered seats”, so that it was possible to relate the place on the bench with the name of its holder.For Ana Cristina Guerreio, the guards were “not very firm in demanding” compliance with the use of the mask and should not have allowed the mobility of the public, in her opinion”. She also considered a possible placement of barriers to make circulation impossible, but that “do not prevent an eventual exit in case of emergency”. “Reduce the number of authorized public”, was another solution pointed out by the regional health delegate.

Quarteira: Covid-19 employee case closes Abelheira School

The Abelheira Primary School, in Quarteira, closed due to a positive case of Covid-19 in an employee who will force all her colleagues to remain in prophylactic isolation. According to a service order, dated today, 28 October, and signed by the director of the School Group Laura Ayres, this decision arises because “the school cannot function without operational assistants”. The Covid-19 employee tested positive last weekend and the local health delegate ended up determining the “prophylactic isolation of all operational assistants”.

The school will be closed “as long as this isolation period lasts. Teachers from the 1st cycle classes and educators must «implement distance learning for students, using, whenever possible, synchronous, daily activity lasting 45 minutes (1st cycle)», says the order of service. In addition, teachers must also “use the available means of contact to ensure communication with guardians and, if necessary, send documents / activities on paper”.

Algarve Situation Report Wednesday 28th October 2020

Covid-19: More than 70% of Algarve hotels are expected to close during the winter – AHETA

More than 70% of hotels and tourist developments in the Algarve are likely to suspend activity during the low season due to the crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the president of the sector’s main regional association said today.

The president of the Association of Hotels and Tourist Enterprises of the Algarve (AHETA) noted to the Lusa agency that, “during the winter, before the pandemic, about 50% of the hotels and developments were already closed”, warning that this number may rise and leave only less than 30% of hotels and developments in activity during the coming winter.

“This year our expectations are around 70%, and this number may be even higher”, said Elidérico Viegas about the prospects of AHETA for the low season of 2020/2021, stressing that “at the end of September many units closed the activity and closed”.

The president of AHETA warned, however, that these figures are only based on expectations, because “hotels and tourism enterprises are not obliged to inform about the closure” and this is only part of the “decision of the businessman and management” each unit.

Workers from school cafeterias and cafeterias protested on “national struggle” day in the Algarve

The Union of Workers in the Hotel, Tourism, Restaurants and Similar Industry of the Algarve, said in a statement sent today, that workers from the canteens and cafeterias of schools in the municipality of Lagos protested yesterday, in front of the City Council.

The protest was part of a national strike called by the Federation of Agriculture, Food, Beverages, Tobacco, Hospitality and Tourism Unions of Portugal, a structure that affects CGTP-IN, which decided to move forward to this day of national struggle due to the worsening of the situation that has been taking place in this sector “, resulting in the stopping of all cafeterias in the municipality of Lagos and other municipalities, namely, at the Escola Secundária de Albufeira.

Covid-19: DGS refuses “catastrophe” at the Algarve GP, but appeals to civility

The Directorate-General for Health (DGS) refused to agree yesterday that the organization of the Portuguese Grand Prix (GP) of Formula 1, which took place in the Algarve, was “catastrophic”, but appealed to the responsibility of citizens to respect the health recommendations.

“There were things that went well and others less well. And both were visible,” began the General Director of Health, Graça Freitas, when asked about the possible non-compliance with the distance rules in the stands of the Algarve race track, that this end weekend received the Portuguese GP.

At the regular press conference to update the Covid-19 numbers in Portugal, Graça Freitas recalled that the DGS makes “recommendations” and then trusts “in the inspection and organization” of the events, and in the case of the Portuguese GP , there was “some discrepancy between the recommendations and the ability for the organizers to arrange all the benches and inspect them”.

“I observed, from various angles and different ways, the distribution of the audience on the stands and, for the most part, the audience was with the necessary distance and wore a mask. However, these are lessons learned for the future. Perhaps, in the near future, to control the imponderables, we will have to have fewer people in the events”, she affirmed.

Moreover, she considered that there is a “co-responsibility” of several parties for the smooth running of the events, starting with the citizens themselves.

“We have to be careful to keep our distance. If a seat has a sticker there saying ‘don’t sit here’, it would be good if they didn’t sit there. There is a co-responsibility here of the organization [of the event] and also of the DGS. In any case, I do not think that the situation was catastrophic. I do not think that any very dramatic event will emerge from there “, she said.

Algarve situation report October 24 2020

ARS Faro District Covid-19 Situation report

The District Civil Protection Commission of Faro today sent the usual assessment of the epidemiological situation in the region.In a statement sent and based on the data provided by the Regional Health Delegate, there are 831 active cases of covid.19 in the Algarve. So far, 2,391 infected people have been reported, plus 41 in the last 24 hours with 1,530 recovered (cumulative), equivalent to 63.99%. 29 people are hospitalized, 1 in the Intensive Care Unit. The same source reports 30 deaths in the region. Under active surveillance are 1,187 people and 133 (cumulative) were discharged.

Covid.19: Faro cemeteries limited to 50 visitors during All Saints’ Day

The Municipality of Faro informed that the municipality’s cemeteries will be open for visits on October 31 and November 1 (All Saints’ Day), between 8:30 am and 5:30 pm, with limited entries, and reinforced measures for the safety of all those who decide to pay tribute to loved ones.In a statement, the autarchy states that the municipal cemeteries will thus have a limit of 50 people simultaneously, in maximum groups of two to two people, who are obliged to wear a mask during the period of stay inside the space.

The sharing of hand tools such as shovels, spoons or other equipment is prohibited, and disinfection of the hands of visitors with the application of alcohol gel available in dispensers at the entrance is mandatory.The Municipality will also apply waiting distance markings outside the city’s cemeteries, having recommended the same procedure to the parish councils for the others. The municipality also calls for respect for the rules of social distance and hygiene, as well as for the recommendations and recommendations of the authorities, inside, outside and when accessing cemeteries.

Algarve report Wednesday October 21st

Registered unemployment in the Algarve rose 157.5% in September

The number of unemployed registered in September, in the employment centres of the Algarve, rose 157.5% in relation to the same month of last year, according to data released today, October 20, by the Institute of Employment and Professional Training (IEFP).

In relation to August, registered unemployment increased 4.3%.

The Algarve, as it has been happening since March, was again, in September, by a large margin, the region of the country with the highest year-on-year increase in registered unemployed.

Lisbon and Vale do Tejo, the region that had the second largest increase, stood at + 54.7%. Alentejo registered an increase of 27.3%. At the national level, the increase was 36.1%.

According to the IEFP statistical bulletin, at the end of September, there were 21,310 registered in the employment centres in the Algarve, 13,034 more than in the same month of 2019.

In relation to August of this year, there are more 885 unemployed people registered (+ 4.3%), a number that grew slightly due to the drop in tourism activity.

1st cycle teacher infected with COVID-19 in São Brás de Alportel

The municipality of São Brás de Alportel announced that a positive case of COVID-19 was detected in a primary school in the municipality, namely a teacher.

All families of students in this teacher’s class have been duly informed and the children are under surveillance in their homes.

All people in this teacher’s network are also under surveillance, and duly monitored by the Local Health Authority.

The Delegate of Local Health is once again, from the first moment, to monitor and intervene in this situation, in close articulation with the School Group, the City Council and other local and regional entities.

“We further inform you that at the moment the situation is under control and all people are well”, says a source from the municipality.

The municipality wishes the teacher “quick improvements and thanks the families and the whole educational community for understanding”.

Tavira holds information session aimed at UK nationals living in Portugal

The International Organization for Migration (IOM), through the UKNSF – British Citizens Support Fund, will hold, on the 4th of November, at 11:00 am, in Tavira, an information session for UK nationals and family members about rights and procedures of residence in Portugal.

According to the Tavira municipality, the program includes the opening and welcome at 11 am, presentation of the project – UKNSF – Support Fund for British Citizens at 11.05 am, general information on residence rights in Portugal, 11.15 am, questions and answers at 11.25 am and closing scheduled for 11:45 am

This action comes from the project, developed by IOM, to support British citizens to finalize their residence requests, in Portugal, at the moment when the United Kingdom leaves the European Union. The project has the collaboration of the British Embassy and the partnership of the High Commissioner for Migration (ACM).

Interested parties must pre-register by October 30, using the form: https://bit.ly/2Ih1fdV

More information through 913 590 456, anfernandes@iom.int, https://unitedkingdom.iom.int/uknsf-portugal, https://www.facebook.com/oimportugal.

Albufeira event United Kingdom Nationals Support

OM, in collaboration with the municipality of Albufeira, is promoting an Info Session about the UKNSF –United Kingdom Nationals Support Fund, 29th October at 11 am in Albufeira.

The Agenda for the Information Session is the following:

  • 11h00 – 11h05 | Opening and Welcome Remarks
  • 11h05 – 11h15 | UKNSF – United Kingdom Nationals Support Fund – Project Presentation
  • 11h15 – 11h25 | General Information on Residency Rights in Portugal
  • 11h25 – 11h45 | Questions Answers
  • 11h45 – 11h50 | Check Out

To participate it is mandatory to register until the 23th October through the form: https://bit.ly/33Sjq1R

The location will be sent by email following registration.

If you wish to schedule an individual appointment for support with UKNSF team please provide that information on the registration form.

For further information contact us: +351 913590456 or anfernandes@iom.int

We look forward to meeting you!

Algarve October 17, 2020

Faro Airport recorded the largest decrease in the number of passengers handled between January and August

The movement in Portuguese airports maintained the recovery trend in August, but still with daily decreases of more than 50% in passengers, according to data released today by the National Statistics Institute (INE).Lisbon airport handled seven million passengers recording a decrease of 66.3%. Considering the three airports with the highest passenger traffic, Faro airport was the one that showed the greatest decrease in the number of passengers handled between January and August 2020 (-77.1%).

According to the INE’s fast statistics, in August 2020, at all airports, there was a movement of 2.2 million passengers, representing a decrease of 65.9% (-79.5% in July).The number of passengers disembarking at national airports on flights from the United Kingdom decreased by 69.1% (-85.5% in July).According to INE, the announcement of the inclusion of Portugal in the list of safe countries to travel (on August 20) contributed to a smaller reduction in the number of passengers disembarked between August 21 and 31 (-47.2%), when compared to that recorded between 01 and 20 August (-79.7%).

In August, according to the data released today, 12.4 thousand commercial aircraft landed at national airports, representing a year-on-year change of -46.4% (-62.0% in July and -86.6% in June).There was a movement of 2.2 million passengers (boardings, arrivals and direct transits), representing a year-on-year decrease of 65.9% (-79.5% in July and -94.6% in June).

President Marcelo visits Ribat da Arrifana, took selfies and debated with mayors

The President of the Republic made this Friday the 15th the penultimate v

Portugal Resident

isit to an Algarve municipality, to Aljezur, in a tour that started in July and that was intended to “pull through the Algarve” , as he said in his first visit, to the municipality of Vila Real de Santo António.Because, considering that the Algarve, depends so much on tourism, has been the region most affected by the crisis created by the Covid-19 pandemic, the head of state promised that he would visit all the municipalities in the Algarve, to take his support to mayors and to talk more about the region.

Always with the Aljezurean mayor José Gonçalves as host, the President started by meeting, at Espaço +, with people linked to associations and IPSS in the municipality, and then went up the street to Igreja Nova, where he entered and prayed. Then he ate on the outdoor terrace of a pastry shop in that area of ​​the village.After speaking with some of the journalists, the head of state headed to Ribat Arrifana, the ruins of an ancient Islamic monastery-fortress with nearly a thousand years of history, which is a national monument,After Aljezur, today Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa will be in Vila do Bispo, to get to know some of the problems and projects in the municipality and for his last dinner with the mayors of the Algarve.

Covid.19: António Pina does not believe that the numbers have gone up due to tourists but “because we are relapsing”

The President of the District Civil Protection Commission of Faro, spoke on Thursday at the usual press conference, regarding the situation of the pandemic in the region.António Pina, does not believe that it was tourists, who were responsible for the numbers that have been verified in the last days, “the problem here is us, and in the daily behaviour we have had, we are not going to try to put the problem on tourists now” and added “in the same way that the Portuguese and the Algarve behaved very well in the first phase before the summer, now they are not doing it”, he justified.

The also president of the Intermunicipal Community of the Algarve, warned that if people’s behaviour does not change, “the measures will have to be even harder”. The official drew the attention of the young people so that they do not think that the disease does not affect them, “so what about your parents and grandparents, do they not think about them?” he asked.

Covid-19 outbreaks at Faro Hospital affect 5 users and 3 professionals

There are five users and three health professionals infected with Covid-19, following outbreaks that emerged in the Orthopedics and Medicine Services 1 of Hospital de Faro, according to Regional health authority.The outbreak in Medicine 1 is the one with the most associated cases, those of the five users and those of two health professionals “in the field of nursing”, revealed today Ana Cristina Guerreiro, regional health delegate of the Algarve, during the fortnightly press conference of assessment of the epidemiological situation in the Algarve.

In this service, the origin is the employees, one of whom tested positive “on the 11th” and the other “on the 13th of October”. The cases in users, who have already been transferred to a Covid-19 wing of the Centro Hospitalar Universitário do Algarve, «are subsequent».In the case of orthopedics, “there is an infected health professional, a situation detected on 10 October”.Paulo Morgado, president of the Regional Health Administration (ARS), revealed that «there are 17 health professionals infected» with Covid-19, in the Algarve.

All tests carried out on users and employees of the Portimão care home were negative

All the tests done yesterday on the 98 users and employees of Lar Diogo Gonçalves, in Portimão, «gave a negative» revealed to Sul Informação the Mayor of Portimão.The tests were carried out after the death on 14th October of a patient, a man “in his fifties and with many comorbidities”, who had been admitted to the hospital the day before and died in Faro hospital, victim of Covid-19.In all, according to our newspaper, analysis of the disease caused by SARS-Cov-2 was carried out to 59 home users and 39 employees.

Mayor Isilda Gomes added that these negative tests demonstrate “that we have been doing a good job at home”.The residential structure in question, located in the city centre and belonging to the Portimão Elderly Support Centre network, had recently been tested in late August.According to data from the Regional Health Authority yesterday (the most recent), the municipality of Portimão this Thursday had 74 active cases of Covid-19, while 6 more people had recovered from the disease, with this new death still to be regretted.

https://www.sulinformacao.pt/2020/10/todos-os-testes-feitos-a-utentes-e-funcionarios-do-lar-de-portimao-deram-negativo/

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