Madeira Situation Report Wednesday 20th April 2022 

By Daniel Fernandes 

Brief Covid-19 update

On April 17th, there were 63 patients hospitalised in the general Covid-19 unit (8 non-vaccinated, 2 vaccinated with one vaccine dose, 18 fully vaccinated, 35 vaccinated with a booster shot), 3 hospitalised patients in the Covid-19 intensive care unit (1 non-vaccinated, 2 vaccinated with a booster shot). As for the age of the hospitalised patients who are in the general Covid-19 unit, 12 are aged 18-65 and 51 are 65 or older. As for the hospitalised patients in intensive care, all 3 are aged 65+.

There were 8 deaths from April 11th to April 17th. There had been a total of 261 deaths.

383 Ukrainian refugees in Madeira

As of April 7th, 383 Ukrainian refugees had moved to the Autonomous Region of Madeira under the temporary protection scheme introduced by the Portuguese Government. Nearly half of the refugees are women (182 – 47.5%), nearly a third are children (123 – 32.1%), and just over 1 in 5 are men (78 – 20.4%).

The number of Madeira residents who have volunteered to host Ukrainian citizens in their homes has increased from 52 to 66 families.

Festival of Madeira Rum to start on Thursday

The fourth edition of the Festival of Madeira Rum (Festival do Rum da Madeira) will start on April 21st and finish on April 24th. It will be organised by Instituto do Vinho, Bordado e Artesanato da Madeira (IVBAM), as part of a regional plan to promote Madeira Rum.

It will take place at Avenida Arriaga. Its opening hours on April 21st will be from 16h00 to 00h00, on April 22nd and 23rd will be from 16h00 to 01h00, and on April 24th will be from 16h00 to 21h00.

The aim of the festival is to strengthen the promotion of Madeira Rum at regional, national and international level, by creating memorable moments for all participants and visitors.

Those attending the festival will be able to take part in sessions to sample Madeira Rum, talk to rum makers, have cocktail sessions, harmonise food and chocolates with Madeira Rum, etc.

All makers of Madeira Rum who sell their rum will be attending this event: Engenhos do Norte, Sociedade dos Engenhos da Calheta, Engenho Novo da Madeira (William Hinton), Florentino Izildo Ferreira (O Reizinho), and Vinha Alta. They will be presenting and promoting their rums, which have unique features.

World experts in rum will be taking part in the event. They include Marco Graziano (Italian), Fernando Melo (Portuguese), Nicholas Gueho (French), and Thierry Heins (Belgian). They will be visiting the companies that make rum, in order to learn about each of them and to become true ambassadors of Madeira Rum. This is a clear attempt by IVBAM to internationalise Madeira Rum.

There will also be 3 masterclasses of Madeira Rum, which will be run by Rubina Vieira and Américo Pereira. Those who are interested in attending them must sign up by sending an email to:  promocao@madeira.gov.pt

3 flights diverted on Tuesday morning

A total of 3 flights (from Lisbon, Porto and Dusseldorf) were diverted on Tuesday morning, as a result of strong winds in Funchal. The flight from Dusseldorf had to be diverted to Oviedo. The strongest gust of wind had reached 68 km/h.

 

Madeira Situation Report Wednesday 13th April 2022

Brief Covid-19 update

On April 11th, there were 71 patients hospitalised in the general Covid-19 unit (15 non-vaccinated, 24 fully vaccinated, 32 vaccinated with a booster shot), 3 hospitalised patients in the Covid-19 intensive care unit (1 fully vaccinated, 2 vaccinated with a booster shot). As for the age of the hospitalised patients who are in the general Covid-19 unit, 2 are aged 0-17, 15 are aged 18-65 and 54 are 65 or older. As for the hospitalised patients in intensive care, all are aged 65+.

There were 11 deaths from April 4th to April 11th. There have been a total of 253 deaths.

Romanian low-cost airline to start flights to Madeira

Blue Air, a Romanian low-cost airline that started operating flights to Portugal in 2008, will start operating flights to Madeira from April 16th. It will have a weekly flight connecting Bucharest and Funchal. In April, return flights are available for at least €119.98. The same airline had previously operated charter flights to Madeira during the summer of 2021.

The opening of this new route will be important for the tourism industry. Portugal has become famous for the quality of its tourism industry, and Bucharest is gaining visibility as a tourist destination and as a destination for friends and relatives to travel to.

Madeira to reduce VAT on fuel

Miguel Albuquerque, the President of the Madeira Regional Government, said the Region will follow the Portuguese Government’s reduction of VAT on fuel. The Portuguese Government intends to lower the VAT on fuel from 23% to 13%. It is waiting for feedback from the European Commission.

Chocolate Market open until April 14th

The traditional Chocolate Market (Mercado do Chocolate) started on April 11th and will be open until April 14th. Several types of sweets can be purchased at this market, which will focus on the upcoming Easter celebrations. A total of 14 different participants will show they creativity in the production of meringues, doughnuts, Easter chocolates, etc. It is a unique opportunity for some to sell their products directly to the public, as they do not have physical shops and only sell online.

Heavy seas warning

A warning against heavy seas is in place until Thursday (06h00).

There will be 4-5 metres high waves from north-west on the north coast (with a gradual reduction to 3-4 metres), and 2.5-3.5 metres high waves from west/south-west on the south coast (with a gradual reduction to 1-2 metres).

There will be moderate wind from the north-west (from the north in the start of the evening). And visibility will be good

Vessel owners are advised to take the necessary precautions to ensure their safety.

Water supply disruption

There will be a water supply disruption tonight, from 22h00 until 06h00 (tomorrow), as part of the scheduled work to monitor and control water leaks in the water supply network. The following areas will be affected:

– Caminho do Esmeraldo

– Rua Agostinho Pereira de Oliveira

– Rua da Artilharia

– Avenida Dom Teodoro Fari

– Caminho de São Martinho

– Caminho do Passeio

– Travessa do Pico da Igreja

– Beco do Cemitério

– Caminho da Igreja Nova

– Caminho do Amparo

– Rua da Bolívia

– Travessa de São Martinho

Power cut

Empresa de Electricidade da Madeira (Madeira power supplier) announced there will be power cuts due to scheduled work on the electricity supply network. These cannot be postponed and will take place in the following days and places:

FUNCHAL

April 13th – 09h00 to 11h30 & 14h00 to 16h00 (TODAY)

– 2ª Travessa do Pilar

FUNCHAL

April 14th – 00h00 to 05h00

– Calçada do Pico (numbers 18, 20 and 32)

– Rua dos Álamos (numbers 1, 2, 4, 6, 10, 12 and 14)

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 number (Serviço de Apoio ao Cliente): 800 221 187.

 

Madeira Situation Report Wednesday 6th April 2022 

Brief Covid-19 update

On April 4th, there were 76 patients in hospital (19 non-vaccinated, 25 fully vaccinated, 32 vaccinated with a booster shot), 3 of whom were in intensive care ( 2 fully vaccinated, 1 vaccinated with a booster shot). As for the age of the hospitalised patients who are in the general Covid-19 area, 2 are aged 0-17, 14 are aged 18-65 and 60 are 65 or older. As for the hospitalised patients in intensive care, 2 are aged 18-65 and 1 is 65+.

There were 6 deaths from March 28th to April 4th. There have been a total of 242 deaths.

Appeal for more donations of goods to the Ukrainian people

On March 29th, the “Rebecca S” cargo ship, that belongs to GS Lines (Grupo Sousa) shipped a fourth container with 10 tonnes of humanitarian aid to be delivered to the Ukrainian people. The goods had been collected as a result of a partnership between Associação dos Ucranianos em Portugal, the Municipality of Funchal and Grupo Sousa. So far, 4 containers containing 25 tonnes of food, medication and clothing have been shipped. Grupo Sousa shipped the goods to the Portuguese mainland, from where the goods were then shipped to the Ukrainian people.

Valentyna Chan, the regional representative of “Associação dos Ucranianos de Portugal” (an association representing Ukrainians in Portugal), has praised the community in Madeira for exceeding the best expectations when it comes to the provision of humanitarian aid to the Ukrainian people. She appealed for the population and institutions to continue to support this movement.

She informed the main donations required are of food such as energy bars, cookies, tea, canned food, baby food, powdered milk; personal hygiene products such as toothpaste, body wash products, diapers (for adults and babies); first aid kit such as disinfectants, analgesic, bandages. These goods can be delivered to premises of LOGUSLINK-Cancela. 

Eurowings Discover to start Frankfurt-Madeira flights

Eurowings Discover, which belongs to Lufthansa, will start flights between Frankfurt and Madeira in the summer. It will have one flight on Tuesdays and another on Fridays, in addition to the flight that Lufthansa operates on Saturdays.

Power cut

Empresa de Electricidade da Madeira (Madeira power supplier) announced there will be power cuts due to scheduled work on the electricity supply network. These cannot be postponed and will take place in the following days and places:

JARDIM DA SERRA

April 6th – 09h00 to 12h00 (TODAY)

– Cabo Podão

– Pomar Novo

– Volta da Panelinha

FUNCHAL

April 7th – 09h00 to 11h30

– Caminho do Terço (numbers 18 and 39)

– Estrada da Boa Nova (Entrance number 69)

– Estrada da Boa Nova (numbers 60 to 79)

– Rua Dr. Pestana Júnior (number 6)

– Rua do Sagrado Coração de Jesus (numbers 1 to 20)

ARCO DA CALHETA

April 7th – 10h00 to 11h00

– Rua das Cales

– Rua da Chada

– Caminho das Cales

– Caminho da Chada

FUNCHAL

April 8th – 09h00 to 11h30

– Largo das Torneiras (number 3)

– Rua do Arcípreste (numbers 5 – Shops 1 to 9)

– Rua do Arcípreste (9A and number 11 – Lotes 1 to 5)

– Rua do Hospital Velho (numbers 38 to 48(

– Rua do Latino Coelho (number 61 and 65)

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 number (Serviço de Apoio ao Cliente): 800 221 187.

 

Madeira Situation Report 30th March 2022

Brief Covid-19 update

As of March 29th, there had been 68 Covid-19 cases in the Region’s educational establishments in the previous 24 hours (46 students, 16 teaching staff and 6 non-teaching staff).

On March 28th, there were 99 patients in hospital (24 non-vaccinated, 37 fully vaccinated, 4 vaccinated with 1 dose, 34 vaccinated with a booster shot), 1 of whom was in intensive care (vaccinated with a booster shot). As for the age of the hospitalised patients who are in the general Covid-19 area, 1 is aged 0-17, 25 are aged 18-65 and 73 are 65 or older. The hospitalised patient in intensive care is aged 18-65.

There were 10 deaths from March 21st to March 28th. There had been a total of 236 deaths.

No stricter Covid-19 restrictions required

Miguel Albuquerque, the President of the Madeira Regional Government, said the increase in the number of Covid-19 cases and hospitalisations is not enough to warrant stricter restrictions such as lockdowns or the mandatory use of face masks outdoors. Nevertheless, he said everyone must keep taking individual precautions. He argued the seriousness of the pathologies is not the same as in the past, the population has a greater level of immunity, most people infected with Covid-19 merely have a cold, and some of the infected are hospitalised as a precaution due to having pre-existing conditions. He stressed that the Covid-19 symptoms and pathologies have been much lighter than before and assured the health authorities have been monitoring the Covid-19 developments.

Region spent €78M on Covid-19 tests

The Autonomous Region of Madeira has spent €27M on 1,8 million pharmacy Covid-19 tests, €1,5M on 95,000 SESARAM (Madeira Health Service) Covid-18 tests, €7,4M on 148,000 Covid-19 tests for passengers arriving in the Region, and €42M on 842,612 hospital PCR tests. Overall, the Region has spent €78M on Covid-1 tests.

Ryanair start operating flights to Madeira

Ryanair started operating flights to/from Madeira on Tuesday.  A total of 42 weekly flights, with a maximum capacity of 8,106 passengers, will be available in each direction from March 29th until October 29th (IATA Summer). There will be 10 routes for 7 countries (Portugal, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy  and the UK).

It will operate 2 daily flights between Lisbon and Madeira (Funchal), and 1 daily flight between Porto and Madeira (Funchal).

It will operate 2 weekly flights between Belgium (Brussels), France (Marseille and Paris), Germany (Nuremberg), Ireland (Dublin), Italy (Milan) and Madeira (Funchal).

It will operate 9 weekly flights between the UK (6 from London & 3 from Manchester) and Madeira.

The flights to/from Lisbon will be operated by a Boeing 737-800, which has a maximum capacity of 189 passengers and is based in Lisbon. The remaining flights will be operated by a Boeing 737 MAX8-200, which have a maximum capacity of 195 places and will be based in Funchal.

Water supply disruption

The Municipality of Funchal announced there will be a water supply disruption TODAY, from 09h00 until 17h00. It will affect the following areas:

– Estrada Comandante Camacho de Freitas

– Caminho do Poço Barral

– Impasse 1 at Caminho do Poço Barral

– Entrada 43 (Entrance 43) to Caminho do Poço Barral

– Azinhaga do Poço Barral

– Entrada 68  (Entrance 68) to Caminho do Poço Barral

– Travessa do Tanque 

– Entrada do Tanque

– Caminho do Pico do Funcho

– Escadas do Pico do Funcho

– Caminho do Esmeraldo

Another disruption will take place tomorrow (March 31st), from 09h00 until 18h00. It will affect the following areas:

– Caminho da Hortelã

– Caminho dos Tanques

– Travessa dos Tanques

– Vereda do Lombo Centeio

Power cut

Empresa de Electricidade da Madeira (Madeira power supplier) announced there will be power cuts due to scheduled work on the electricity supply network. These cannot be postponed and will take place in the following days and places:

MONTE & SÃO ROQUE DO FAIAL

March 30th – 09h30 to 11h30 (TODAY)

– Ribeiro Frio (Pipas)

– Terreiro da Luta

– Casa do Barreiro

– Ribeira das Cales

– Pico Alto

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 number (Serviço de Apoio ao Cliente): 800 221 187.

 

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