Portugal Situation Report Wednesday 15th^h June 2022 

Good morning – The first item this morning is a reminder of our dangerous wells campaign. Our first post reached many people, and we thank all of you who shared this important message. A shocking statistic is that in the last 5 years some 66 people have died after falling into wells, plus five more in the last 12 weeks! These have ranged from young children to the elderly from north to south of the country. This need not have happened if the owner of the well had made them safe as required by law.

If you are a property owner with land in the rural areas, check that your well is covered if the land is not walled or has adequate fencing. Many wells are in a state of disrepair and as the picture shows (from a property currently for sale in the north of Portugal) and can be a death trap especially for young children and animals.

I covered this topic on KissFm radio last Sunday and we will continue to promote this safety message whilst encouraging more pro-active awareness and enforcement action by municipalities.

Again a warning concerning safety on beaches in particular to stay away from unstable cliffs which are clearly marked, as well as safety when entering the water. There have been over 20 deaths from drowning at sea so far this year and without many of these are a result of rip currents.

In particular be alert for young children who may be attracted to a bright object/toy in the water and enter alone to try and retrieve it with drastic consequences.

With the recent very hot weather there are a number of public safety messages we have published over the last week. The first of these relates to health and to avoid excessive exercise especially during the hottest parts of the day. It is important to recognize the signs of dehydration and what immediate action to take. Always carry plenty of water with you when cycling or hiking.

The other relates to rural fires. Given the conditions over the last few days I am surprised that there has not been more fires, which hopefully shows that key messages on fire prevention are getting across. We monitor fires throughout the day and it is clear that over the last few days the majority of fires have been in the north and mainly late afternoon/evening coinciding with the hottest part of the day.

A very encouraging statistic is that the average time from registration of a fire until its conclusion is less than an hour and some less than 20 minutes. This is import because the longer a fire burns the greater the perimeter becomes and its intensity and the more resources are required to try and extinguish the fire. When the Rural Fire Hazard is very high or extreme, this can be particularly challenging for fire fighters, especially if there are multiple fires in the same area.

Each day we include in the fire risk the FWI Rural Fire Hazard as it is important that people are aware of how quickly a fire could start in their area. The higher the level means that that there the conditions in placed based on six measurements that determine the rate of the spread of fires.

Please report fires by dialling 112 immediately and avoid any actions that could inadvertently start a fire.

Alarms are sounding: water this summer will have to be managed with caution and limitations on public use of water are inevitable. Measures will be decided this month. May was very dry and forecasts for June are no better.

Saving water will have to be the watchword this summer. After some relief in March and April, the month of May was the hottest on record in Portugal and very dry. Accordingly the forecasts from the Portuguese Institute for the Sea and the Atmosphere, which are being worked on with the Portuguese Environment Agency, the prediction is for an even drier second half of June, which places the country in the most serious scenario ever in terms of water shortage at the beginning of summer.

We must do everything to conserve water

With that please have a Safe Day 

NEWS

Minister of Health announces “contingency plan” in emergencies for the summer months

Lisbon, June 13, 2022 (Lusa) – The Minister of Health, Marta Temido, announced today, in Lisbon, that “a contingency plan” will be put in place between June and September to seek to solve the lack of doctors in hospital emergency rooms in the country.

Marta Temido was speaking after a day of meetings with clinical directors of several hospitals in the Lisbon region, and then with unions and the Medical Association about the “instability of the operation” of these services.

In the short term, said the minister, the Government will move forward with “a contingency plan in the months of June, July, August and September, with a more articulated, anticipated and organized operation of network emergencies, of the National Health Service”.

The lack of doctors in several hospitals in the country has led in recent days to the closure of obstetrics emergencies, or requests to the urgent patient guidance centers (CODU) to refer users to other hospitals.

In statements to journalists, the Minister of Health also spoke of the opening of the hiring of specialists, namely with the opening of a competition, and the “precaution of remuneration issues”, in addition to the “support for those who are on the ground and the leaders” of hospitals. .

It is the CODU, from the Mécia National Institute of Emergency (INEM), who receive 112 calls related to health emergencies, then manage the necessary means to respond to users. 

Doctors say the 2021-2030 National Health Plan is incomplete and point to omissions

Lisbon, June 14, 2022 (Lusa) – The Portuguese Medical Association considers that the National Health Plan (PNS) 2021-2030 is incomplete and points to omissions in the areas of chronic kidney disease, which affects 10% to 20% of Portuguese people, and musculoskeletal rheumatic diseases.

In a document that Lusa had access to, the Ordem dos Médicos (OM) also says that the PNS “ignores the enormous weight of the problems relating to the national health system and, in particular, to the National Health Service”, stressing that “the The absence of a diagnosis regarding the very structures of the system, makes the elaborated plan incomplete and makes it impossible to fulfil other objectives in the next decade”.

Speaking to Lusa, the chairman of the Ordem dos Médicos considered that there are several important issues that “have not been properly evaluated” in what is intended in a National Health Plan for the next 10 years.

“We are going to have changes in migratory flows – we are already having and we will have them on a larger scale – and this is not foreseen in the National Health Plan”, said Miguel Guimarães, insisting that “these plans require certain types of options and, if perhaps, to some interventions so that these people can have access to health care, so that they can be integrated. And none of this is planned.”

In the position it issued in the public consultation of the PNS 2021-2030, the OM says that chronic kidney disease is not given due importance, recalling that it is “very prevalent” – it affects 10% to 20% of the Portuguese population – and underlines that the incidence “is expected to increase in the coming decades”.

It is estimated that by 2040, chronic kidney disease will be the fifth cause of years of life lost.

“Chronic kidney disease is linked to a part of the costs that the State has in the partnerships it makes to ensure services, such as haemodialysis”, underlined the chairman, also highlighting the “huge effort” that the country has made and carried out in the area of ​​transplantation. 

Portugal has granted more than 42,000 temporary protections to people who fled the war in Ukraine

Lisbon, June 14, 2022 (Lusa) – Portugal has so far granted more than 42,000 temporary protections to people who fled the war in Ukraine and reported to the Public Ministry the situation of 731 children who arrived in the country without their parents, indicated the SEF.

According to the latest update made by the Foreigners and Borders Service (SEF), since the beginning of the war, on February 24, Portugal has granted 42,151 temporary protections to Ukrainian citizens and foreigners residing in Ukraine, 26,620 of which to women and 15,531 men. .

The SEF adds that the largest number of temporary protections granted continues to be in Lisbon (7,646), Cascais (2,635), Porto (1,630), Sentra (1,495) and Albufeira (1,168).

The SEF also indicates that it issued 37,881 certificates granting residence permits under the temporary protection regime.

This certificate, issued after the National Health Service, Social Security and Tax Authority have assigned the respective numbers, is necessary for refugees to start working and access support.

During the process of allocating these numbers, citizens can consult the numbers that, in the meantime, are being allocated, in their reserved area of ​​the digital platform https://sefforukraine.sef.pt.

The SEF also adds that requests for temporary protection were authorized for 12,743 minors, representing about 30% of the total.

The SEF also reveals that it communicated to the Public Prosecutor (MP) the situation of 731 Ukrainian minors who arrived in Portugal without their parents or legal representatives, cases in which it is considered that there is no “current or imminent danger”.

In these situations, in which in most cases the child arrived in Portugal with a family member, the case is communicated to the MP for the appointment of a legal representative and eventual promotion of a process for the protection of the child.

 

Portugal Situation Report Wednesday 8^th June 2022 

Good morning – we start the day with a shocking statistic and that is that so far this year 13 women have been killed as a result of domestic violence by a spouse, two in the last few days. This compares with 16 for the whole of last year. It is not just women as it was reported last year that five men had also died as a result of conjugal violence. Unfortunately domestic violence in 2021 was the most reported crime in Portugal.

Domestic Violence is a public crime in Portugal. This means that anyone in addition to victim can file a complaint with the PSP, GNR, Judiciary Police, Public Prosecutor or Legal Medicine Institute. Also via the internet through the Electronic Complaint System. Whether the victim lodges a complaint or not, a complaint or knowledge of the crime is sufficient for the authorities to act and for an investigation to be opened. There are also organisations such as APAV, who are experienced and trained in handling such cases.

Safe Communities and APAV will be holding a seminar on Domestic Violence in Loulé on Thursday 9th June at the Palácio Gama Lobo, Rua de Nossa Senhora de Fátima, 8100-557, Loulé. I am sure this will be raised with a view of what more can be done to prevent such tragedies. The seminar is open to the public, is in English and we encourage people to attend.

Turning to beach safety, APA the environmental authority have identified 103 bathing areas that have cliffs that are potentially dangerous, 28 have half of the sand in cliff protection areas, according to the decree that defines the beginning of the bathing season. On these beaches it is only advisable to sunbathe in a narrow strip next to the water – not at the foot of the cliff itself. There are warning signs where this risk exists and we ask people to heed such warnings and not put yourselves/your family at risk.

This article in yesterday’s Expresso appears following a meeting by Safe Communities Portugal with the Algarve Regional Director APA on 24th May, requesting that more publicity and awareness be given to the state of cliffs and compliance with danger signs. The director undertook to do so.

Over the next few days according to the IPMA temperatures will increase slightly and in certain parts in particular the eastern Algarve temperatures of around 36C – 37C are expected. With this of course comes the increased risk of rural fires. The civil protection authority and all those involved in tackling fires are prepared – but are you? We urge to monitor the fire risk at the start of each day which can be done on our Facebook page (posted around 0800 hrs), follow the restrictions which are in place to avoid inadvertently starting a fire.

In particular please remember that when the fire risk is VERY HIGH/MAXIMUM in your municipality, you are prohibited from using motorised equipment such as chainsaws scrub-clearing machinery and shredders, all equipment with exhausts without flame-retardant equipment, cutting equipment such as chainsaws or grinders, or the operation of mechanical methods which, in their use on natural or artificial materials, generate sparks or heat”. On the other days there are no restrictions on the use of machinery. This is applicable in rural territories AND in the surroundings of built-up areas.

Should you not follow this and a fire results, you could be charged with causing a fire through negligence which is a criminal offence – DO NOT take the risk.

Lastly again a reminder on rip currents. The tragic death of a German tourist whilst swimming with a colleague off the unsupervised beach in Sintra yesterday, highlights the dangers of rip tides and currents which can happen all along the Portuguese coastline.

Whilst it has not been confirmed that this was the cause of this tragedy it is prudent to remind people of the dangers that exist around our shores. Agueiros can be fatal and cause death by drowning. The bather must above all not panic, nor try to overcome the current. You should ask for help and swim sideways until you no longer feel the effect of the current. Afterwards, he should try to get out of the water in a place away from this current.

We have an extensive article on our website regarding beach and water safety which you can access here: https://www.safecommunitiesportugal.com/find-information/for-tourists/water-and-beach-safety/

With that please have a Safe Day.

Headlines

Portugal: President warns of ‘extremely complex, unpredictable’ global situation

Lisbon, June 6, 2022 (Lusa) – Portugal’s president, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, has warned of the extremely complex and unpredictable international situation, saying that the war in Ukraine has exceeded the limits of reason, generated enormous emotion and requires “enormous” care.

De Sousa was speaking at the close of a debate as part of a book festival staged in the grounds of his palace in Belém, Lisbon, which was moderated by one of his independent advisors, writer Pedro Mexia, with the participation of former Left Bloc member of parliament, José Manuel Pureza, and Diana Soller, a specialist in international politics.

“The international situation is extremely complex, because nobody knows what the epilogue of what we are living through will be; nobody knows what the costs of this epilogue and after the epilogue will be, and nobody knows what the definitive configuration will be in the correlation between the major powers” of the world, said the president in outlining the current global situation.

In an indirect reference to the US and the next presidential elections there, de Sousa said that nobody knows in what direction that country will go – and this “is not indifferent”.

“The position towards the other powers [under Donald Trump] was substantially different from the current position,” he recalled, going on to turn his attention to Ukraine. “There is a problem of correlation of powers here. Europe is the theatre where the whole set of current circumstances is projected, but Europe humbly knows that there are realities that go beyond it, warlike realities.”

On the war, the president expressed his deep concern.

“Emotion has always been in politics, but it was only disciplined substantially or apparently by reason,” he said. “Now, it has overstepped the limits of reason and the most that reason can do is try to condition and curb the excesses of emotion.”

On Ukraine, “there are issues to be dealt with through rationality, but others in a very emotional way,” he argued. “It will be said that with the passage of time, reason increases and reason diminishes, but this is not so linear. It is not linear when faced with dramatic, complex and brutally visible situations.” 

News

Union announces strike by health workers on July 1

Lisbon, June 7, 2022 (Lusa) – The National Federation of Workers’ Unions in Public and Social Functions (FNSTFPS) announced today that it will call a strike by health workers on July 1st.

The strike, which covers all professionals in the sector with the exception of doctors and nurses, is the first since the beginning of the covid-19 pandemic and, according to the coordinator of the Federation, was motivated by old claims that remain unanswered.

“There is a willingness to join the fight because, in fact, they have been waiting for many years to come to fruition and solve their problems”, said Elisabete Gonçalves at a press conference, adding that “after so many pats (during the pandemic), nothing resolves”.

Specifically, the FNSTFPS coordinator talks about problems that affect medical assistants, senior health technicians and senior diagnostic and therapeutic technicians, and that accentuate instability in health services and harm the National Health Service.

“These are situations that may seem diverse and distant, but which as a whole create a demotivation for health workers, which in terms of retaining health workers is of no benefit”, he said.

Elisabete Gonçalves mainly denounces problems related to the careers of these professionals, demanding the replacement of the assistant technician’s career, and also criticizing the change in the career of higher diagnostic technicians that “does not reflect the specificities of these workers”.

“As for senior health technicians, they have been fighting for years for public competition procedures that are not being carried out, which limits the appreciation of these workers”, explained the coordinator.

The strike on 1 July is aimed at all workers in mainland Portugal and the autonomous region of the Azores, being preceded by a strike on 30 June in the autonomous region of Madeira, as it is a public holiday on the following day. 

DGS says children up to 16 with symptoms of acute hepatitis should be seen urgently in hospital

According to the guidance released today by the Directorate-General for Health (DGS) on suspected cases of acute hepatitis of unknown ethology in paediatric age, nonspecific manifestations such as abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, diarrhoea, with more than a week of evolution and severe prostration may coexist with respiratory symptoms and fever.

In the context of hospital care, in the presence of a child with the clinical manifestations described above and which raise suspicion of hepatitis, laboratory investigation should be initiated with, among other analyses, complete blood count, coagulation study (INR), in the area of ​​biochemistry, indicators such as blood glucose, urea, creatinine, ionogram, total and direct bilirubin should be analysed, as well as blood culture should be performed if fever is present.

Since the information resulting from the ongoing investigation in the countries that reported cases is still limited, with enteric adenoviruses having been indicated as a possible agent involved, the DGS recommends, in the community, the strengthening of protective measures such as hand hygiene (supervision in younger children) and respiratory etiquette, aeration and/or ventilation of interior spaces, frequent cleaning and/or disinfection of surfaces in the presence of cases of acute gastroenteritis or respiratory infection.

In health facilities, contact precautionary measures are recommended for suspected or probable cases in case of respiratory symptoms, “in compliance with the rules established for infection control by the Program for the Prevention and Control of Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance (PPCIRA)”, adds the DGS.

Ukraine: SEF investigates case related to trafficking for work purposes

Lisbon, June 6, 2022 (Lusa) – The Foreigners and Borders Service is investigating a case related to human trafficking for work purposes involving Ukrainian refugees, the deputy national director of SEF, Paulo Batista, told Lusa today.

“SEF is dealing with all the situations that come to its notice, namely complaints and indications from various entities and many situations have arrived, which we analyse quickly. So far, and from everything we have analysed, we have only detected a situation that will eventually be trafficking for work purposes”, said Paulo Batista.

In addition to this case that is being investigated by the SEF, Paulo Batista said that SEF had received from Amnesty International a complaint about a possible situation of human trafficking for work purposes.

“We have received and are processing the information”, he explained, noting that the Public Prosecutor’s Office (MP) also received this complaint and the SEF will “wait for the MP to define to whom it delegates competence to carry out the investigation”.

Without giving details about Amnesty International’s complaint, the deputy national director of the SEF said that it was allegedly two Ukrainian victims.

Paulo Batista underlined that “a lot of complaints” related to Ukrainian refugees have reached the SEF. “It’s a good thing that people report everything they can see that is part of trafficking. Then we have to analyse and verify whether this is so or not, with diligence on the ground, which is what we are doing,” he said.

The deputy national director of the SEF also stated that in most situations verified by SEF no problem related to human trafficking is detected.

According to the latest update made by the Foreigners and Borders Service, since the beginning of the war, on February 24, Portugal has granted 40,955 temporary protections to Ukrainian citizens, of whom 12,696 were minors.

The largest number of temporary protections granted continues to be in Lisbon (6,973), Cascais (2,597), Porto (1,544), Sintra (1,466) and Albufeira (1,154).

In other words, “there is a great deal of emotion and this emotion requires enormous balances,” he added.

 

Portugal Situation Report Wednesday 1^st June 2022

Good morning – Firstly I will start with a reminder and that is concerning our forthcoming seminar: Domestic violence – A Cross Cultural Focus”. The aim of the seminar is to create greater awareness in recognising the signs and handling of domestic violence cases across different cultures. For those who deal with migrants and/or groups where cultures, language and customs maybe very different to that in Portugal, understanding their needs as victims of domestic violence and related abuse is essential.

The venue will be the lovely historic Palácio Gama Lobo, Rua de Nossa Senhora de Fátima, 8100-557, Loulé on Thursday 9th June from 16.00 to 18.00 hrs.

We are privileged to have Dr. Vitor Aleixo, Sr. Presidente da Câmara de Loulé who will give an opening address as well as a range of speakers who have considerable local, national and/or international experience in their respective fields. Please welcome those who can attend.

Regretfully domestic violence represents the highest number of reported crimes in Portugal, so it is important to know how to recognise the signs at an early state and obtain professional help.

Newsletter – You may not be aware that on average every two weeks Safe Communities Portugal publishes a newsletter, which contains key information concerning safety and security issues, including topics such as beach safety, rural fire risks cyber security, and road safety etc. – all those bits of advice, which if followed, helps in contributing to a high quality of life here in Portugal. Like all our services this is free of charge and to be added to the list simply email newsletter@safecommunitiesportugal.com.

Last week the crime figures for Portugal for 2021 were published by Government. There is plenty of good news here showing a continuous decrease in violent and serious crime over the last 10 years.  We are lucky in Portugal in living in one of the safest countries in the world, so it is important we all do our best to keep it that way. You may not be aware that Portugal is currently the 4^th most peaceful country in the world according the Global Peace Index. An analysis of the 2021 crime figures can be read in the Safe Communities feature in this week’s Algarve Resident newspaper due out tomorrow.

We seem to be in a period of rail strikes, with more expected. Comboios de Portugal gave a warning this Monday, to all users, as it foresees disruptions “in all services” between 3rd and 30th June 2022. It stated “We inform you that, due to a strike, possible disruptions are expected in all services, between the 3rd and 30th of June 2022, namely delays and cancellation of trains”, according to a notice published on the company’s official website. We recommend if your journey is essential, for instance travelling for a flight departure, that you check with CP the situation beforehand. This can be done through their website here:

https://www.cp.pt/passageiros/pt

Remember also that there have been partial strikes on the Lisbon and Porto metro systems usually from 0500 to 0900 hrs.

 

Portugal Situation Report Wednesday 25^th May 2022.

Good morning – The annual Portugal Internal Security Report (RASI) for 2021 was published yesterday. Good news is that that crime, both general and violent and serious, recorded levels below the pre-pandemic period, in 2019.

Overall crime increased by 0.9% in 2021 compared to 2020, while violent and serious crime decreased by 6.9%, according to the Annual Internal Security Report (RASI) approved today. The bad news is that once again domestic violence features highly, with 26,520 complaints, despite having registered a reduction of 4% (-915 cases) compared to 2020. We will be preparing further analysis of the main categories shortly

After a break from face to face seminars of nearly two years due to Covid-19 restrictions, Safe Communities Portugal is pleased to announce the first of a number of planned seminars – this first one dealing with an important subject, that of domestic violence. This is being organised jointly between SCP and Associação Portuguesa de Apoio à Vítima (APAV) Algarve on 9^th June at 1600 to 1800 hrs.

The focus and aim of the seminar is to create greater awareness in recognising the signs and handling of domestic violence cases across different cultures. For those who deal with migrants and/or groups where cultures, language and customs maybe very different to that in Portugal, understanding their needs as victims of domestic violence and related abuse is essential. The venue will be the lovely historic Palácio Gama Lobo, Rua de Nossa Senhora de Fátima, 8100-557, Loulé. Please see our post on Facebook.

I hope that everyone is now aware of the new fire risk rules which we have publish each day together with the risk itself. There are some significant differences, for example the prohibition on “very high” and “maximum” risk days in carrying out work using: strimmers, scrub clearing machinery and shredders, all equipment with exhausts without flame-retardant equipment, cutting equipment such as chainsaws or grinders, or the operation of mechanical methods which, in their use on natural or artificial materials, generate sparks or heat. On the other days there are no restrictions on the use of machinery. This is applicable in rural territories AND in the surroundings of built-up areas.

It is important to familiarize yourself with the new rules to avoid fines, and more hefty penalties should a fire break out arising from the use of such equipment.

We urge everyone to monitor the fire risk daily, and for those who have, will notice an increase in risk over the last week. Temperatures are above average for the time of year and in these conditions coupled with moderate winds fires can start and spread very quickly. A fire in Almodovar (just across the border with the Algarve) on Tuesday, last over 4 hours before being brought to a  conclusion, but luckily was not near to a residential area. Nearly all fires are as a result of negligence and in particular the burning of scrubland (extensive burns) or cut and piled waste without following the safety guidelines.

Of some significance is that since the introduction of the restriction that prohibits extensive burning of land when the fire risk is very high or maximum, the number of fires each day has been below 50 – some would say 50 too many, but as far as we can determine this is far below normal when such burnings were allowed albeit with prior authorisation). We are monitoring this trend.

It is important that tourists are aware of the fire risk and we would remind those who are accommodating overseas guests (either AL or simply relatives from overseas) particularly those in rural areas, to remind them of the basic fire prevention rules. Safe Communities Portugal met a few days ago with the new president of AHETA, in the Algarve to explore ways to promote safety for visitors and we are developing some ideas for consideration.

On Tuesday I also met with Pedro Coelho, Director of the Environmental Protection Agency (APA) in the Algarve and discussed what more can be done to create greater awareness of cliff safety, along some of our very nice beaches. The APA website clearly shows cliffs that are unstable through erosion, and areas where landslips and rock falls could be affected. He highlighted the area between Armação de Pera and Lagoa as a high risk area, so please be aware. He undertook to raise this with APA headquarters in Lisbon, to see if more can be done through social media to bring this to people’s attention.

Lastly our condolences to the families and friends of 21 people who died, including 18 children and three adults, on Tuesday at an elementary school in the city of Uvalde, in the US state of Texas. Since 2012 there have been more than 900 incidents of shootings reported on school premises. (…) The list grows even further when we include mass attacks in places like cinemas, houses of worship. It is time to stand up to gun regulations which allows an 18 year old to buy an automatic assault rifle in the same way that he buys a cell phone.The person responsible for this shooting was just 18 years old.

With that have a Safe Day

News

Portugal must be aware of “old threats” of diseases – Director-General of Health

Lisbon, May 24, 2022 (Lusa) – The Director-General for Health (DGS) today defended the importance of the national vaccination plan, warning that Portugal may be subject to “old threats” from diseases, such as polio, which recently registered a outbreak in Mozambique.

“We all have to fight for the continuity and sustainability of the vaccination process and always be very attentive to the re-emergence of old threats”, said Graça Freitas, at the end of the conference “the contribution of vaccination to healthy aging in Portugal”, promoted by biopharmaceutical GSK with the newspaper Público.

“I found out recently – and I was very sad – that poliomyelitis has re-emerged in Mozambique”, said the director-general of Health, for whom this situation demonstrates that “there is always the possibility of importing cases and, from this introduction into the country, , foci of a disease develop” that has been eradicated in Europe.

On May 18, the African office of the World Health Organization (WHO) announced an outbreak of poliomyelitis in Mozambique, declared by the local health authorities after the disease was confirmed in a child, inside the country.

Attributed to wild poliovirus, this is the first case in Mozambique since 1992 and was identified in a child in Tete province, in the northeast, who began to experience paralysis at the end of March.

Poliomyelitis is an infectious disease without a cure that mainly affects children under five and can only be prevented with a vaccine.

The last case of poliomyelitis, with paralysis caused by wild virus, recorded in Portugal was in 1986, and the disease has been officially eliminated since 2002, through European certification granted by the WHO.

For Graça Freitas, vaccination, in addition to being a right and a duty, is also “an act of solidarity, because there are people who cannot be vaccinated due to some special condition”.

CP warns of “significant disruption” on Friday in Lisbon due to strike

CP WARNS OF SIGNIFICANT DISRUPTION ON FRIDAY 26^TH MAY IN LISBON DUE TO PARTIAL STRIKE

CP has warned of the possibility of “significant disruption” in Lisbon urban train services on Friday 26^TH May, between 1500 hrs and midnight, due to a partial strike, with no minimum services foreseen.

“CP – Comboios de Portugal informs that, due to a partial strike called by a trade union organization, for the period between 17.00 hrs and 21.00 hrs on May 27, 2022, there may be significant disturbances in the movement of passengers on urban trains in Lisbon, with an expected impact between 15:00 and 24:00 hrs, on the same day”, reads a note from the company.

Also according to CP, the Arbitration Court of the Economic and Social Council did not decree minimum services for this strike, convened by the Railway Union of Itinerant Commercial Review (SFRCI), demanding salary improvements.

In the note, CP “regrets the inconvenience caused to its customers”, recommending that they obtain information about traffic through the company’s website or the helpline (808 109 110, at the cost of a call to the national fixed network).

“CP will make every effort to provide the best possible service to its customers, despite the constraints arising from this situation”, is also mentioned in the statement.

Last Thursday, the SFRCI announced two partial strikes in the urban areas of Porto and Lisbon this month.

The partial strike in the urban area of ​​Porto took place on Monday, between 05:00 and 08:30.

As a CP source told Lusa, around 70% of scheduled trains were suppressed, but the numbers were contested by the union.

Toxic chemicals in European agriculture: the “forbidden fruit” continues to fall on our plate

The use of toxic chemicals in European agriculture continues to increase rather than decrease, warns a study released this Tuesday by PAN Europe (Pesticide Action Network – a network of non-governmental organizations and institutions that works to minimize the negative effects of dangerous pesticides). .

The objective of the European Strategy “From Meadow to Fork” and the European Green Deal is to achieve a 50% reduction in the use of pesticides in agriculture by 2030, but this ambition is far from being approved and implemented. And, contrary to what is recommended, several chemicals used in pesticides, herbicides, insecticides and fungicides – which should have been replaced by now – continue to be used in the fruit and vegetables that reach supermarkets and our homes.

“This report and its conclusions contradict official statements that the use of toxic pesticides is decreasing and that the levels found are within acceptable limits” , reads the introduction to the study, which also points the finger at States- members and the European Commission for “failing to apply the regulation and protect consumers”.

Despite the European Union claiming that there was a 12% reduction in the use of the 55 chemical substances listed for substitution, a 2019 European Commission report notes that the promised “phasing out” (since 2011) has not happened. According to the PAN Europe study, instead of decreasing, the usage rate has increased by 8.8% in nine years.

Based on the analysis of more than 97 thousand samples of fresh fruit grown in Europe, and on official data from the 27 Member States, the study – “Forbidden Fruit” – reveals that, in 2019, close to a third of the fruit continued to reveal residues of at least one of the 32 worst chemicals still authorized in the European Union, which scientific studies point to as endocrine disruptors, persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic substances being associated with fertility problems or carcinogens.

These include the fungicide “Ziram” (associated with endocrine disruption); the insecticide “Pirimicarb” (suspected of carcinogenic effects), the fungicide “Metconazole” (potential effects on the human reproductive system). And PAN Europe wants to see them banned quickly and for that it is now starting a new campaign in this sense.

Among the analyzed fruit, they found that half of the cherry samples contained 152% more substances compared to the 2011 samples; a third of apples revealed 117% more; and half of pears and peaches, respectively, plus 103% and 52%.

In the field of vegetables, celery, parsley and cabbage showed less contamination, but even so, there was a 19% increase compared to 2011.

Despite being outside this “top 5”, Portugal also uses these harmful substances. PAN Europe researchers found that 85% of pear samples and 58% of apples produced in Portugal contained residues of the chemicals on the list.

“These substances should be replaced, but this is not happening in Portugal or in other countries”, emphasizes Pedro Horta, from the Zero association. The environmentalist recalls that “the European regulation imposes an approval procedure for products containing these substances that leads to the consideration of replacement alternatives, whether chemical control through less worrisome substances or practices for the prevention and/or control of health problems that the pesticide intends to solve”. However, he says, “according to the DGAV no substitution for alternatives has been made”.

The General Directorate of Food and Veterinary Medicine (DGAV) confirms this in a letter sent to Zero at the beginning of May – and to which Expresso had access – stating that “to date, it has not been possible to replace plant protection products containing CpS [substances active candidates for replacement]”. Among the reasons given by the DGAV are: “the lack of alternatives aimed at an adequate management of enemy resistance”; or the fact that “the product is important considering the minor uses for which it is authorized”.