Azores Situation Report Wednesday 14th August 2024

 

By our correspondent in the Azores

 Video surveillance in the historic centre of Ponta Delgada awaits opinion

The installation of the video surveillance system in the historic centre of Ponta Delgada, on the island of São Miguel, is awaiting the opinion of the National Data Protection Commission, the City Council says.

Azores under yellow warning given forecast of high temperatures

Maximum temperatures can reach 30 degrees and minimum temperatures can be around 24 degrees at night. The problem is that the temperature persists for a long time.

The Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) has placed the islands of the three groups of the Azores under yellow alert due to the forecast of high maximum temperatures between today and Thursday, as reported to the media.

We are expecting maximum temperatures to be around 29 degrees across the archipelago. Occasionally, they could reach 30 degrees in urban areas.

The IPMA indicated in a statement that the warning regarding “persistent high maximum temperature values” is in force between 12:00 today, Tuesday, and 11:00 on Thursday, the 15th, on all islands of the archipelago, in the Eastern, Central and Western groups.

Reopening of closed thermal areas in São Miguel depends on new analyses

The Regional Health Directorate of the Azores said this Friday that the reopening of the three thermal zones on the island of São Miguel, closed since July due to microbiological contamination, is dependent on the results of new analyses.

The thermal areas of Caldeira Velha, Poça da Dona Beija and Parque Terra Nostra, on the island of São Miguel, have been closed since July 26th, by decision of the health authorities, as water analyses showed “positive results for microbiological contamination”.

According to a statement from the Regional Secretariat for Health and Social Security, in July, the Regional Health Directorate (DRS), in conjunction with the health authorities of Ribeira Grande and Povoação, and the Health Unit of Ilha de São Miguel, carried out an environmental investigation with water samples from the three locations.

The laboratory analysis of the collected samples was carried out by the National Institute of Health Doctor Ricardo Jorge (INSA) and, following the known results, the authorities decided to determine the immediate closure, exclude the public from the tank area, carry out a shock disinfection, carry out drainage, cleaning and disinfection of the equipment, among other measures.

After the tanks were filled, new analyses were carried out. The results, known between August 1st and 5th, indicated that the water samples from the Poça da Dona Beija, Parque Terra Nostra and Caldeira Velha pools presented “positive results, but with a significant decrease in the concentration of the previously identified microbiological agent (over 95% reduction)”.

“After a meeting involving several technical entities in the sector, the strategy presented by DRS was unanimously accepted, which is why the tanks were drained, cleaned and disinfected and the third [water] analyses were collected at these locations, on the 6th and 7th of August”.

According to the statement, “the results are expected to be received over the next week”.

“It was also agreed that, if the results continue to decline, it will be possible to reopen these spaces, respecting the rules for their use”, it states.

The DRS praises the “continuous commitment and collaboration of the entities managing the spaces” and highlights that, together with the health authorities of the Azores, “all measures” will be taken to defend Public Health in the region.

The note highlights that these water systems “offer ideal conditions for the colonization, multiplication and dissemination of some microbiological agents, namely bacteria”.

 

 

 

Azores Situation Report Wednesday 7th August 2024

 

From our correspondent in the Azores

Yacht catches fire with seven people on board

A local yacht caught fire this on Monday 5 miles from Vila Franca do Campo. The seven crew members were rescued by a nearby maritime tourist vessel and are now ashore.

According to the captain of the Port of Ponta Delgada, Commander Rafael da Silva, the seven crew members “were unharmed, in good health and do not require medical care”.

According to information from the Maritime Authority, the fire on the 13-meter-long sailboat, based in the port of Vila Franca do Campo, is believed to have started in the engine room and was initially fought by the crew, but without success, having spread to the rest of the boat.

The presence of a maritime-tourist vessel in the vicinity made it possible to avoid greater harm: having spotted the column of black smoke – which was visible from land, according to several reports – it approached the sailboat and aided the crew, transporting them safely to land.

The alert was given via 112, at around 5:02 pm, to the Ponta Delgada Search and Rescue Coordination Centre, with the Volunteer Firefighters of Vila Franca do Campo taking over the fight against the flames with six operators, which were declared as “apparently extinguished” at 8:08 pm. “Despite the efforts made, the vessel ended up sinking at a depth of around 1,000 meters”, revealed Captain Rafael da Silva, adding that “Given the condition of the vessel at the time it sank, no pollution incidents are expected”.

 

Free minibus for students and over 65s

Starting this Friday, all students and people over 65 can travel on the minibus network for free.

The regulation exempting payment of the “student monthly pass” and “senior monthly pass 65+” for minibuses, from Ponta Delgada City Council, is now in force, after publication in the Official Gazette.

 

Azores Situation Report Wednesday 31st July 2024

Overnight stays in tourist accommodation in the Azores increased by 9.4% in June

The Azores recorded around 473 thousand overnight stays in tourist accommodation in June, 9.4% more than in the same period last year, according to estimates from the Regional Statistics Service (SREA) released this Monday.

Applications open for special travel arrangements for higher education students

Applications for the special travel regime for students entering higher education outside São Miguel Island for the first time are open until August 15th, Ponta Delgada City Council says.

Apartments cost 900 euros/m2 more ten years later

The median value of apartments per square meter in the Azores in June 2024 more than doubled in a decade, being 903 euros higher than in September 2014

The median value of bank appraisals for apartments in the Autonomous Region of the Azores was 1,684 euros per square meter (euros/m2) in June 2024, an assessment that more than doubled in a decade, according to data from the National Institute of Statistics (INE), consulted by Açoriano Oriental.

Compared to September 2014 (INE does not present data for June 2014), the median value of bank appraisals for apartments in June of this year was 903 euros/m2 higher, which translates into an increase of 215.6%.

Ryanair intends to reopen base in Ponta Delgada

About a month ago, Ryanair sent the Government of the Republic a plan to significantly increase the airline’s presence in Portugal by 2030, which, according to the newspaper Eco, foresees the reopening of the Ponta Delgada base, in São Miguel.

The plan foresees “doubling the number of routes to more than 320, adding 16 new planes (an investment of 1.6 billion dollars) to the operation, reopening the Ponta Delgada base, reducing seasonality in Faro, Ponta Delgada and Funchal and creating 500 jobs”.

At a press conference held yesterday in Lisbon, Ryanair Group CEO Michael O’Leary said he wanted to double the number of passengers transported in Portugal to 27 million, but he is demanding an increase in the number of slots in Lisbon and state incentives to reduce airport taxes.

Three thermal areas closed on the island of São Miguel due to suspected contamination

The Regional Health Directorate of the Azores today ordered the closure of three thermal spas on the island of São Miguel to the public, due to laboratory tests that indicate results “compatible with microbiological contamination”, the regional executive reported.

The decision was taken after the Regional Health Directorate carried out an environmental investigation, with the collection of thermal waters, in Caldeira Velha, Poça da Dona Beija and Parque Terra Nostra, on the island of São Miguel.

“The laboratory analysis of the samples collected was carried out by INSA [National Institute of Health Doctor Ricardo Jorge], with the results being compatible with microbiological contamination,” the note reads.

Thus, “good Public Health practices dictate that, when the result of a microbiological analysis of water is unfit for its intended purpose, measures must be taken to guarantee the safety of the population”.

Applying the “Precautionary Principle”, the Azorean executive reports that it has determined the application of several measures in the three identified locations, such as their closure and excluding the public from the tank area.

It was also decided to carry out a “shock disinfection”, drain, clean and disinfect the tanks and accessories, and review the control and risk assessment measures.

It was also determined to carry out new analyses after filling the tanks and to keep the spaces closed “until the risk assessment has yielded satisfactory results”.

“These instructions were given to the entities managing the spaces in question, who are collaborating actively and committedly”, guarantees the Regional Government of the Azores.

 

 

Azores Situation Report Wednesday 24th July 2024

Price of food basket in the Azores increased by 6% in one year

In June of this year, the average basket of food products cost 133.52 euros, representing an increase of 6% compared to June 2023. The biggest price increase recorded was in olive oil (+60%) and the most significant decrease was in onions (-14%)

Updated travel advice has been published on the UK Government site https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/portugal/safety-and-security

Hiking in Madeira and the Azores

Hiking in Madeira and the Azores can be challenging. Choose paths that suit your fitness and experience.

Be prepared for narrow, uneven paths and heights. Wear suitable clothing and walking boots. Take extra care if it has rained, as the ground may be slippery and unstable. Check with your tour guide or local organiser that it is safe before you set off.

Leave details of where you are going with your hotel reception and take a phone with you. Reduce the risk by walking with a group or following a guide.

See more information about staying safe, walkway closures and access restrictions on Visit Madeira and Visit Azores.

Ponta Delgada Hospital says it is “quickly resuming” healthcare activities

The Hospital do Divino Espírito Santo (HDES), in Ponta Delgada, which suffered a fire, carries out a daily average of 399 consultations and 3,087 exams, but surgical activity is still “strongly conditioned”, announced the board of directors.

The fire, which broke out on May 4th at Ponta Delgada Hospital, the largest healthcare unit in the Azores, forced all patients who were hospitalized to be transferred to various locations in the Azores, Madeira and mainland Portugal.

According to those responsible for HDES, the health unit is “quickly resuming” healthcare activities to “values ​​close” to those existing before the fire, particularly regarding the number of medical consultations (399 consultations/day), Day Hospital sessions (70 sessions/day) and complementary diagnostic and treatment methods (3,087 exams/day) carried out.

In a press release to update data on the institution’s installed capacity to date, the administration states that in the HDES Emergency Service, despite being divided between the Ribeira Grande Health Centre and CUF Açores Hospital, it has already been possible to “match the daily average of care provided at the time of the fire, that is, more than 300 emergency care services per day”.

However, the surgical activity of HDES “is still shown to be strongly conditioned (average of 10 surgeries/day)” due to the dispersion of resources between the Operating Rooms available at the Bom Jesus Clinic and the CUF Açores Hospital, located in the city of Lagoa, on the island of São Miguel.

According to those responsible, “priority remains for urgent, emergency and non-postponable surgeries, particularly for oncological reasons”.

As a result of the fire on May 4, the institution’s installed capacity, namely in terms of the number of beds available for hospitalization, was compromised and dispersed across several public and private health and social institutions on the island of São Miguel, a situation that “has been gradually and phasedly reversed with the resumption of activity at the HDES facilities”, hospital officials also guarantee.

On July 15th, the institution resumed hospitalization in the Nascente Wing, initially with Palliative Care and Psychiatry, to which, as of July 17th, four medical hospitalization services and three surgical hospitalization services were added.

Currently, the HDES East Wing has a total of 199 hospital beds and four intensive care beds in the Critical Patient Unit.

As of today (July 23rd), 99 patients are hospitalized in the various medical-surgical inpatient services and there are no patients hospitalized in the Critical Patient Unit, the board of directors also reports.

Additionally, HDES maintains 17 surgical hospitalization vacancies at the Bom Jesus Clinic, 28 medical hospitalization vacancies at the Ribeira Grande Health Centre and 87 hospitalization vacancies at the CUF Açores Hospital, in the specialties of Paediatrics, Obstetrics, Neonatology, Cardiology, Intensive and Intermediate Care, Cerebrovascular, Surgery and Gastroenterology, it also indicates.