Portugal Situation Report Wednesday 2nd June 2021
Introduction
Good morning – As you have hopefully noticed, we have been placing some emphasis over the last few days on public safety, especially as regards to the prevention of rural fires. This becomes increasingly important as we head into the summer months, when the risk of such fires increases. To increase awareness on this topic and particularly “risk awareness”, the Algarve Resident in its edition tomorrow will contain a one page feature, which I have written on rural fire prevention. Please take time to read this and by doing so help keep yourself and others safe.
When is a bubble not a bubble? That is the question seemingly contained in the President of the Republic’s statement on Monday where he commented on the lack of adequate arrangements concerning the Champions League final in Porto on Saturday. Clearly the arrangements where not as originally announced and as a result there were large numbers of people gathering in public areas with no social distancing and no wearing of facemasks. It seems that there is little understanding of the behaviour of football supporters when it comes to crowd management, particularly during periods of celebrations.
Talking about crowds we remind visitors to play by the rules here in Portugal, when it comes to social distancing and wearing of masks in outdoor crowded places, as well as complying with the ban on the drinking of alcohol in public areas. Visitors to Portugal are of course welcome, but please realise that everything is not yet back to normal as far as social activities are concerned.
We have seen the images of the events following the match in Porto, as well as reports in some areas that a minority of visitors are not following the laws here, and therefore respecting all that people here have worked so hard to achieve over the last year.
For those planning to travel to Portugal please realise that the laws here maybe different compared with your own country. Respect our laws please.
The emphasis in tackling Covid-19, like rural fires, should be on awareness and prevention and enforcement only as the last resort. The police here are fully stretched dealing with their normal day to day duties and can ill afford to spend time have to deal with those who cannot be bothered to follow the rules in place. We at Safe Communities are, I believe from the considerable feedback we receive from you, doing our part in helping to keep people informed. For example our two posts on WELCOME to Portugal poster reached almost 70,000 people and several hundred shares and our two posts on beach rules over 61,000. Please therefore share these posts widely so as many people as possible are informed.
Yesterday the Head of the Vaccination Task Force stated that there are more than 60,000 people over the age of 50 waiting for confirmation of self-scheduling for vaccination against Covid-19. The number of registrations was so high that the services will need three days to book all orders.
We suggest therefore in light of this, that after these 3 days those who have still not received a confirmation should call the SNS number 808 24 24 24, even if you have done so previously.
Remember dial 9 for English, Listen for option 5 (or enter 5 immediately) If you speak Portuguese do not use option 9 await option 5 – You are given some information including “if you have not received an SMS dial 3”, then “for vaccination issues” dial 1.
Safe Communities Portugal is pleased to answer your questions where we can. We have noticed sometimes, however, that the same questions are asked several times, when the topic has already been fully explained or a link provided to where such information can be found. This places a great deal extra work on our volunteers, at a time when we have so many other priorities to deal with. We encourage people therefore to please read information and advice provided in the first instance. A reminder that we have a new, very comprehensive website and the answers to many questions can be found here. A question often takes time for us to research, and often the same research can be undertaken by the person asking the question.
The use of photographs on Facebook if used properly can help convey the sense and purpose of the information being posted. We take as much care as possible in this respect. Conversely the posting of pictures/videos which are unsourced clearly designed to stir emotions and provoke a negative response are seldom helpful as they can be misleading. Some tabloids are very experienced at this! In the interests of the integrity of our Facebook page and ensuring accuracy, any photos uploaded under comments should state when and where the photo was taken. We reserve the right to remove any that do not.
Please have a Safe day.
Headlines
WHO approves emergency use of Chinese vaccine Coronavac.
The World Health Organization approved, on Tuesday, the use of the Chinese vaccine CoronaVac, from the Sinovac laboratory, in the prevention of Covid-19.
The WHO committee of vaccine experts recommended this vaccine, which requires two doses every two to four weeks, for people 18 years of age or older. The CoronaVac vaccine is already applied in 22 countries and territories, according to data collected by AFP. In addition to China, it is used in Brazil, Tunisia, Chile, Indonesia, Mexico, Thailand and Turkey, among others.
This is the second Chinese immunizer approved by the WHO, and from now on it can also be used by the international Covax device for the distribution of vaccines, mainly in disadvantaged countries.
“The world is in desperate need of several anti-vaccine-19 vaccines to address the huge inequalities across the planet,” said Mariangela Simao, WHO’s Deputy Director-General in charge of access to medicines and health products.
CoronaVac’s effectiveness in preventing symptomatic Covid-19 cases is 57%, but it is 100% effective in preventing serious cases and hospitalizations in the populations studied, according to the WHO. Efficacy in people over 60 has not been studied.
Covid-19 Data.
On Tuesday Portugal did not record any deaths from Covid-19 in the last 24 hours, but 445 new cases of the disease were registered, according to the daily report of the Directorate-General for Health (DGS).
Confirmed Cases: 849.538 (+ 445 / + 0.05 %)
Number of admitted: 268 (-15 /-5.30 %)
Number of ICU admitted: 50 (-2 /-3.85 %)
Deaths: 17,025 (+ 0 / + 0.00 %)
Recovered: 809.813 (+ 678 / + 0.08 %)
Active cases: 22,700 (- 233 /- 0.97%)
Safe Communities comparisons/trends show that there are three days with zero deaths out of the last 4; new daily cases were slightly above Monday’s figures but below last week’s daily average (491); recoveries were greater than new cases reversing the trend and of the new cases around 55% were in Lisbon and Tejo Valley, similar to yesterday.
In hospitalisations there was a decrease, reversing the previous days increase. Covid-19 patients reduced by 6580 compared to number in hospital 1st February 2021. In ICU also a decrease, the total being one of the lowest however since September 2020 There was a welcome decrease in active cases, reversing the increasing figures over the last two days. Still over 500 additional active cases since a week ago, however.
Health
Private Hospitals cannot charge for personal protection equipment.
The Health Regulatory Authority (ERS) warned, this Tuesday, private hospitals cannot charge for personal protective equipment to users of the National Health Service (SNS) to whom they provide care.
In a statement, the ERS stresses that the private, cooperative and social sectors with conventions with the NHS can only charge moderating fees for the provision of health services to users of the public system.
The charging of amounts for personal protective equipment used because of the Covid-19 pandemic or “any other amount for services provided to users of the NHS” is “a violation of the rules on access to health care, foreseen and punished” by the law, stresses the ERS.
The health regulatory body reinforces that forcing users of the NHS to pay for equipment is “a violation of their right of access to the provision of care” and “a breach of contract” of the convention agreements.
ERS claims to have “knowledge of various user complaints” from the public system who have been charged for equipment and stresses that private individuals can only charge, “and when applicable, the amount due as a moderating fee” for the activities covered by the convention.
Vaccinations
Covid-19: About 63 thousand young people between 16 and 24 years old have already been vaccinated in Portugal.
Lisbon, 01 Jun 2021 (Lusa) – About 63,000 young people aged between 16 and 24 have already been vaccinated against Covid-19 in Portugal, where 19% of the population is already immunized with the two doses, reveal data from DGS released today.
According to data from the DGS weekly vaccination report, 1,099 young people between 16 and 17 years of age were vaccinated with the first dose and 323 had the complete vaccination.
“The class of people under the age of 18 includes young people between 16 and 17 years old who have an indication of vaccination according to DGS Standard 2/2021 and who have been given the Comirnaty vaccine (Pfizer-BioNTech)”, says the DGS.
The data also indicates that 38,276 young people between 18 and 24 years of age are already vaccinated with the first dose and 23,158 (3%) with the two doses of the Covid-19 vaccine.
According to DGS, vaccination by decreasing age groups, up to 16 years old, and of people aged 16 or over, applies to those who have diseases with an increased risk of severe Covid-19 or death, such as diabetes, severe obesity, active cancer disease, transplantation and immunosuppression, severe neurological diseases and mental illness.
According to the weekly vaccination report released by the DGS, 3,757,395 people are already vaccinated with the first dose, which corresponds to 37% of the population, and 1,979,425 have the complete vaccination (19%).
Tele-consultations skyrocketed with the pandemic and April saw over 138,000.
Lisbon, 01 Jun 2021 (Lusa) – The Minister of Health, Marta Temido, today highlighted the increase in tele-consultations in the National Health Service since the beginning of the pandemic, which went from 15,000 in April last year to more than 138,000 in the same month this year.
“This shows how much this tragic opportunity of the pandemic has done for the development of tele-health”, said Marta Temido, at the opening ceremony of the eHealth Summit, an event on innovation and digital transformation in health organized by the Ministry of Health under the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU).
Marta Temido also stressed that, with the demands imposed by the pandemic, the National Health Service managed to modernize itself, “guaranteeing a panoply of responses that go beyond therapeutic counselling”.
She highlighted the need to take full advantage of the advances achieved in digital health, pointing to tele-monitoring and the work developed with the “Trace Covid” platform, which has allowed the registration and management and clinical surveillance of citizens suspected of Covid-19 by public health teams and family doctors.
“The pandemic was not only predictable, but it was predicted,” said Marta Temido, for whom “shock waves” cannot be converted into “demagogy and populism”.
“So that we can leave with lessons learned and with social and economic development models that are more robust, resilient and cohesive and so that we can not only be better prepared technologically and scientifically for new emergencies, but socially more cohesive to face them,” she said.
Recovered people can now schedule a vaccine.
Those who recovered from Covid-19 more than six months ago and are over 50 years old can now schedule a date to be vaccinated. The limitation that existed on the Covid-19 Portal has now been lifted, said Gouveia e Melo, who admitted that it may not be necessary to vaccinate children.
Vice Admiral Gouveia e Melo, responsible for the vaccination task force, assured that health centres are calling people who fell ill with Covid-19 (with a positive test for more than six months) and, in the meantime, recovered. Anyone who wants to, and is over 50, can now go to Covid-19 Portal to sign up.
Covid-19: Minister says consultations and surgeries are already close to 2019 levels.
Coimbra, 31 May 2021 (Lusa) – The Minister of Health stressed today that there was an increase of 450,000 consultations and 40,000 surgeries, at the hospital level, in the first four months of the year, numbers already close to the levels of 2019, pre-pandemic.
“At this time of less pressure on health care, recovery is already noticeable. In the first four months of this year, at the hospital level, there was an increase of 450,000 consultations and 40,000 surgeries, compared to the same period”, said Marta Temido, who was speaking during the opening session of the National Congress of the Order of Doctors, which takes place in Coimbra.
The minister stressed that this increase means that the levels are already “very close” to those of 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic.
Also in primary health care, there is an increase compared to 2020, with 12.1 million non-urgent medical consultations, he said.
“We need and count on everyone to continue this path”, stressed Marta Temido.
The Minister of Health also stressed the need to recover the assistance activity, recalling that financial incentive mechanisms were approved for carrying out the postponed assistance activity.
These incentives, at the hospital level, “have already made it possible to recover more than 82,000 first consultations and 30 thousand surgeries”, he pointed out.
According to the official, this inventive regime was extended to primary health care, which may start its activity under this regime in June.
Travel
Refunds for cancelled flights are taking an average of 20 days.
The President of the National Civil Aviation Authority (ANAC) rejected this Tuesday that there are “significant delays” in refunds to passengers with flights cancelled due to the pandemic, adding that “they are taking, on average, around 20 days”.
“What we are aware of is that requests for refunds of passengers in cash are taking, on average, around 20 days and that there will be no significant delays in this matter,” said Luís Miguel Ribeiro during a hearing at the Economy Committee, Innovation, Public Works and Housing, in parliament.
According to the President of ANAC, “people started to know and exercise their rights in due time and, therefore, this issue, more or less, was emptied”.
“This matter, as far as we are aware, is being adequately dealt with by the airlines and we have no echoes of large accumulations of debt in this regard,” he reiterated.
Asked by the deputies about the approximately 500 million euros in ticket refunds that TAP will have accumulated between March 2020 and March this year, according to data advanced by Saturday, Luís Miguel Ribeiro said he did not know this amount, but he warned that it was ” probably from a ‘cake’ that includes passengers’ credits that have been turned into vouchers “and that” may or may not be reimbursed or converted into an effective journey “.
“There is a block of passenger rights that keep their claims on the company, but they have the right to travel next, if they want, or to demand reimbursement. This is a set with an expressive value and what we are waiting for. Is that now, with the relaxation of restrictions, many of these so-called ‘vouchers’ are used and that credit is transformed into a trip “, he said.
As he pointed out, in these cases there may be no question of an effective cash refund that will have to be made to passengers.
“If people took advantage of the opportunities presented by the various carriers to, under favourable conditions, transform their credit into the right to travel at a lower price in the future, this, in fact, appears in the companies’ accounts as a right to a refund, but that will be transformed into a service provision “, he said.
“So” – he added – “some caution is needed when interpreting these values, which may not turn into a ‘cash outflow’ for carriers”.
Other news
President of the Republic believes that no European country will follow the path of ‘Brexit’.
The President of the Republic said today that no European country will want to leave the European Union after ‘Brexit’, saying that “unity means strength” and that, despite differences, European partners usually agree at the “last minute”.
“I think that any country that observes (…) what happened in the United Kingdom, will say ‘it is better not to experiment, no, we will stay inside’. The EU is very diverse, we are different, but we play together, we discuss, we debate and, at the last minute, we agree. Because we know that unity means strength, and that makes a difference,” said Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.
The President of the Republic was speaking at a local high school in the city of Kranj, about 30 kilometres from the Slovenian capital, where he gave a class with his Slovenian counterpart, Borut Pahor, on the topic “How do children and young people see and how do they want it? Europe’s future, in terms of values and practical priorities”.
Questioned by a student, if he foresees any further departure from a member state of the European Union, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa who “does not believe”, even “analytically”, that another “problematic scenario” may arise, stating that “there is nothing to see What happened”.
Thus explaining to Slovenian students the “special relationship” that links Portugal to the United Kingdom, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said that many of his British friends consider that the withdrawal from the European Union, as “often happens in referendums”, arose due to a “Negative coalition”.
The President of the Republic also recalled that, in the days following the referendum, he was invited by the former British Prime Minister, Theresa May, to Downing Street, the seat of the British Government in London, where he realized that the British partners did not know “what to do next”.
“And there was [Theresa May], trying to explain that they were not prepared for that, that they had to think about that later, because they had to convert a negative coalition into a positive position, which is very difficult”, pointed out Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa .
Thus referring that “nobody expected” that “Brexit” would be “possible”, the President of the Republic told the students that Europeans are used to considering “normal” to live in “democracy, to have freedom of the press, and political parties”.
Regions
Madeira Situation Report 2nd June 2021
By Daniel Fernandes
Covid-19 update
There were 37 new Covid-19 cases, 73 recoveries and no deaths from Covid-19 in Madeira since the previous Madeira Situation Report.
On Saturday, there were 12 new Covid-19 cases (from 1 passenger who had arrived from France and 11 cases of local transmission) and 25 recoveries. The number of patients in hospital remained 8, 2 of whom were intensive care.
On Sunday, there were 15 new Covid-19 cases (from 1 passenger who had arrived from the Czech Republic and 14 cases of local transmission) and 16 recoveries. The number of patients in hospital increased to 9, 2 of whom were in intensive care.
On Monday, there was 1 new Covid-19 case of local transmission and 16 recoveries. The number of patients in hospital decreased to 7, 2 of whom were in intensive care.
And on Tuesday, there were 9 new Covid-19 cases (from 1 passenger who had arrived from South Africa, 3 passengers who had arrived from Northern Portugal and 5 cases of local transmission) and 16 recoveries. The number of patients in hospital remained 7, 1 of whom was in intensive care.
There were 171 active cases on Tuesday, of which 11 had been imported while the other 160 cases had been a result of local transmission. As of Tuesday, there had been 9,470 cases, 9,227 recoveries and 72 deaths.
On Tuesday, there were 13 patients in isolation in a dedicated hotel, 151 patients in isolation in their own accommodation and 7 patients in hospital, 1 of whom in intensive care.
On the same day, there were 50 suspected cases under epidemiological investigation and analysis, which were all linked to patients who tested positive for Covid-19, to calls made to the SRS24 helpline, to referrals by SESARAM (Madeira Regional Health Service) and to airport screening.
There were 19,389 travellers under monitoring by the health authorities. Monitoring is being carried out through the ‘MadeiraSafe’ app. There were also 569 people, who had contact with positive cases, being monitored by the health authorities of several Madeira municipalities and of Porto Santo.
As for Covid-19 testing on passengers who had arrived at Funchal and Porto Santo airports, 216,446 samples had been collected until Tuesday (at 15h30). By Tuesday, 445,131 samples from RT-PCR tests had been processed and 58,461 antigen rapid tests had been carried out in the Autonomous Region of Madeira.
The SRS 24 helpline (Regional Health Service – 800 24 24 20) received 503 calls from Friday to Tuesday. Overall, it has received 51,194 calls.
The Covid-19 mental health helpline (Linha de Acompanhamento Psicológico da Direção Regional de Saúde – 291 212 399 – available every day from 09h00 to 21h00), which was set up to provide emotional and mental support to anyone in Madeira received 15 calls from Friday to Tuesday. Overall, it has received 3,592 calls.
https://funchalnoticias.net/2021/05/29/12-novos-casos-de-Covid-19-25-recuperados-96-suspeitos/
https://funchalnoticias.net/2021/05/30/15-novos-casos-de-Covid-19-16-recuperados-43-suspeitos/
https://funchalnoticias.net/2021/05/31/hoje-surgiu-apenas-um-novo-caso-de-Covid-19/
https://funchalnoticias.net/2021/06/01/9-novos-casos-de-Covid-19-16-recuperados-50-suspeitos/
Covid-19 vaccination update.
As of May 30th, 144,578 Covid-19 vaccine doses (93,879 1st doses & 50,699 2nd doses) had been administered in the Autonomous Region of Madeira since the start of the vaccination campaign on December 31st. This means 37% of the Region’s population has been administered the 1st vaccine dose while 20% have been fully vaccinated.
A total of 12,406 vaccine doses (3,436 1st doses & 8,970 2nd doses) were administered in the previous week. The plan for this week is to continue inoculations of both 1st and 2nd doses throughout the Region.
Pedro Ramos, Madeira’s Health and Civil Protection Secretary, said the Region is expected to have administered 150,000 vaccine doses in the next few days, of which 100,000 will be 1st doses.
He announced that pregnant women who are at a certain stage of their pregnancies are already being inoculated as long as they have medical approval.
He also revealed that among the 50,000 fully vaccinated people in the Region, 315 were infected with Covid-19. Nevertheless, he assured that they remained asymptomatic and had not required hospitalisation. He said these figures highlighted the efficiency of vaccination and were a reminder that vaccination does not provide full immunity against Covid-19.
The Madeira Regional Government would like vaccination of youngsters aged 12-15 to be complete before the start of the next school year. They will be administered the Pfizer vaccine as soon as the Directorate-General of Health (Direção-Geral da Saúde) gives approval to vaccination of this age group.
A shipment of 35,100 Pfizer Covid-19 vaccines arrived in Funchal on Monday morning. And 5,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine had been due to arrive in the Region on Tuesday. Administration of the single-dose vaccines will start today on about 1,500 hospital patients who had been selected by SESARAM (Madeira Health Service).
https://funchalnoticias.net/2021/05/31/madeira-com-mais-35-100-vacinas/
https://www.jm-madeira.pt/regiao/ver/130483/Vacinas_da_Johnson_and_Johnson_chegam_hoje_a_Regiao_
https://www.jm-madeira.pt/regiao/ver/130271/Madeira_ja_tem_50000_pessoas_com_vacinacao_completa
CR7 Museum reopened.
CR7 Museum reopened on Monday after being closed for a year. Visitors to this popular museum can learn about Cristiano Ronaldo’s career, the most important moments during his career, the best goals he scored and look at a number of trophies he has won throughout his career.
https://funchalnoticias.net/2021/05/31/museu-cr7-reabre-depois-de-quase-um-ano-encerrado/
Increase in the number of Binter flights to the Canary Islands.
The reopening of the Funchal-Tenerife route in July means that Binter will increase the number of flights between Funchal and the Canary Islands. The airline already has flights between Funchal and Gran Canaria on Thursdays and on Sundays.
From July 10th, Binter will have flights between Funchal and Tenerife on Tuesdays and on Saturdays. On Tuesdays, the flight from Tenerife North – Ciudad de La Laguna Airport will depart at 15h40 and land in Funchal at 17h00. The flight from Funchal will depart at 13h30 and land in Tenerife at 14h50. On Saturdays, the flight from Tenerife will depart at 14h40 and land in Funchal at 16h00. The flight from Funchal will depart at 12h30 and land in Tenerife at 13h50.
Bookings can be made on Binter’s website (www.binter.pt), by phone (291 290 129) or through a travel agency.
https://funchalnoticias.net/2021/06/01/binter-vai-aumentar-ligacoes-entre-a-madeira-e-as-canarias/
Algarve Situation Report Wednesday 2nd June 2021
COVID-19: Unilabs and HPA Saúde Group inaugurate laboratory in Faro.
Unilabs Portugal and the HPA Saúde Group, with the collaboration of the Faro City Council, inaugurated, on Monday, May 31, a new Molecular Biology Laboratory.
The new structure, integrated in the «Summer Safe Algarve» operation, will allow to expand the response capacity in quantity and response time to Covid-19 tests, especially at the level of the standard PCR tests.
The Molecular Biology Laboratory will have the capacity to carry out more than 15,000 tests per day and represents an investment of 1.5 million euros, with the creation of 100 jobs in the laboratory and in the testing network to be set up on the ground, throughout the Algarve region.
With the increase in tourism expected for the summer months in the Algarve, and the mandatory testing to enter Portugal and return to the countries of origin, Unilabs, in partnership with the HPA Saúde Group, will thus strengthen the capacity testing facilities in the region, allowing for a quicker response, without the need to transport samples outside the district.
The screening centre is located at Rua Engenheiro Nuno Abecassis, in Faro, parallel to the Decathlon chain store in Faro.
Hand in hand with the installation of this centre, a network of specific locations and routes programmed in hotel units will be created, in order to expand the ease and convenience in accessing these health services.
Covid-19: Rolling Loud Portugal Festival that would take place in Portimão is postponed again to 2022.
The North American festival Rolling Loud, which was due to open in July in Europe with an event in Portimão, has been postponed to 2022 because of the pandemic situation, the organization announced today.
“While we see that the world is opening up again and we are encouraged by many positive indicators about European travel, stays and events, we feel that the rescheduling of the festival is the best in the name of the safety of all our fans traveling to Portugal, to the festival “, reads a statement shared on social networks.
The first edition of Rolling Loud Portugal should have already taken place in Portimão in the summer of 2020, next to Praia da Rocha, but it was postponed to July this year, but it is now rescheduled, due to the pandemic, for the days from 06 to 08 July 2022.
The festival, made mainly of hip hop, had on the poster names like Travis Scott, A $ AP Rocky, Future, Wiz Khalifa, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, Chief Keef, City Girls, Dababy, Gucci Mane, Gunna and Meek Mill.
The organization does not give names for 2022, saying only that it is working “in the biggest hip hop line-up that Europe has ever seen”.
According to the organization, the tickets already purchased are valid for 2022, but a refund will also be possible.
Calling itself the largest hip-hop festival in the world, Rolling Loud only admits those over 18 years of age.
One dead and one injured in a vehicle crash into a ravine in Silves.
The falling of an off-road vehicle into a ravine in the area of São Bom Homem, in the municipality of Silves, today caused a death and a person slightly injured a source from Civil Protection told Lusa.
According to the District Relief Operations Centre (CDOS) in Faro, the accident that occurred in the middle of the afternoon on Monday resulted in the death of a 62-year-old man and injuries to a 57-year-old woman, both of German nationality.
“The causes of the accident are being investigated” said the source.
In the rescue operations of the victims, 25 members of the firefighters from Silves, from the National Institute for Medical Emergency (INEM) and from the National Republican Guard, from the Municipal Civil Protection of Silves, were involved, supported by an INEM helicopter.
Azores
Azores Situation Report Wednesday 2nd June 2021
From our colleague in the Azores
Azores Fare.
Passengers, resident in the Azores can travel back and forth between the islands of the archipelago, starting today, for the maximum price of 60 euros.
Reservations related to the so-called ‘Azores Fare’ can be made through the sales channels of SATA Air Azores, which makes inter-island trips, and travel agencies.
Passengers who have already purchased a ticket with the normal resident fare for inter-island travel starting today (and who have not yet started their travels), may request a refund of the differential for the Azores Fare.
Azores Bathing Season
The bathing season started yesterday, Tuesday 1st June in the Azores. There are 32 zones, and a manual on the use of these spaces is being finalized in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, which does not provide for fines, but warns users of their responsibility.
82 bathing waters are available for the public to use this year, six of which are for the first time.
Covid-19
29th May.
18 new positive cases of Covid-19 were diagnosed in the Azores, all in São Miguel, in the context of community transmission, resulting from 2,197 tests carried out in reference laboratories in the Region.
The municipality of Ribeira Grande registered 10 cases (five in Rabo de Peixe, two in Ribeirinha, two in Lomba de São Pedro and one in Pico da Pedra). In the municipality of Ponta Delgada there were three new cases (one in Capelas, one in Santa Clara and one in Fenais da Luz), in the municipality of Vila Franca do Campo there was a new case in São Miguel and in the municipality of Lagoa there are four new cases, in Cabouco.
Tthere were a total of 19 recoveries. With the recovery of the only positive case on the island of São Jorge, it has no positive cases.
30th May.
32 new positive cases of Covid-19 were diagnosed in the Azores, all in São Miguel, in the context of community transmission, resulting from 2,340 tests carried out in reference laboratories in the Region.
The municipality of Ribeira Grande registered 20 cases (14 in Rabo de Peixe, two in Ribeirinha, two in Matriz, one in Conceição and one in Porto Formoso). In the municipality of Ponta Delgada there were 11 new cases: three in Arrifes, three in Fenais da Luz, two in Capelas, two in São José and one in Fajã de Baixo. In the municipality of Vila Franca do Campo there was a new case, in São Pedro.
There was a total of 21 recoveries
31st May.
23 new positive cases of Covid-19 were diagnosed in the Azores in, all on the island of São Miguel, in the context of community transmission, following 945 tests carried out in the reference laboratories of the Region.
The municipality of Ribeira Grande registered 11 cases (three in Rabo de Peixe, six in Ribeirinha, one in Matriz and one in Porto Formoso). There were 11 new cases in the municipality of Ponta Delgada (two in Arrifes, two in Capelas, two in Relva, one in São Sebastião, one in São Pedro, one in Santa Clara, one in Fajã de Baixo and one in Fenais da Luz). In the municipality of Vila Franca do Campo, there was a new case in Ponta Garça.
There has been a total of 21 recoveries.
1st June.
19 new positive cases of Covid-19 were diagnosed in the Azores, all on the island of São Miguel, following 2,312 tests carried out in the reference laboratories of the Region and two in independent laboratories. One case concerns a traveller, non-resident, who tested positive upon arrival. All the other cases refer to the community transmission.
The municipality of Ribeira Grande registers 10 cases (four in Rabo de Peixe, two in Ribeirinha, two in Matriz, one in Maia and one in Lomba da Maia). In the municipality of Ponta Delgada, there are six new cases (three in São Vincente Ferreira, one in Santo António, one in Fenais da Luz and one in Covoada). In the municipality of Vila Franca do Campo there was a new case in Ponta Garça and in the municipality of Nordeste, there was also a new case in Vila do Nordeste.
There have been a total of 31 recoveries.
As of today, there are 13 patients hospitalised, all in the Divino Espírito Santo Hospital in Ponta Delgada, with three of them in intensive care.
The archipelago currently has 277 active positive cases, all on the island of São Miguel.
There are no active local transmission chains and 203 have been extinguished so far. There are 1,396 people under active surveillance.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, 5,578 positive cases of Covid-19 have been diagnosed in the Azores and 5,138 people recovered from the disease.
There were 33 deaths, 79 people who left the archipelago and 51 cases with history of previous cure. Up to now, 506,949 tests have been carried out in the archipelago for SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes Covid-19 disease.
From December 31st, 2020 until May 28th, 126,130 doses of Covid-19 vaccine were administered in the Azores, corresponding to 79,832 people aged 16 years or more who received the first dose, and 46,298 people who received both doses, under the Regional Vaccination Plan.
“Civil Protection” is a phrase which we use a lot on the website and on the Facebook page. It is a very important part of our “raison d’etre” and whilst it may not seem as important as some subjects we know from experience that at some point we could well be impacted. oIt encompasses a wide range of issues which will become relevant to anyone who lives in Portugal and we genuinely believe that it is in your best interest to be fully aware of what is happening with regards to Civil Protection in your area. Our fire warnings two days before the Monchique fires in 2018, one directed to tourists with some 80,000 + views is a case in point.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) approved on Friday the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine against covid-19 in adolescents aged 12 to 15 years, this Friday was announced.
Three new SNS 24 branches opened today, two in Vila Real (in the district capital and in Alijó) and one in Barcelos, Braga district, the Northern Regional Health Administration (ARS) said today. North).
João Paulo Gomes, from INSA, reported yesterday that the British variant already represents 87.2% of the total cases in Portugal. The one in Manaus (Brazil) fell from 4.3% in April to 3% in May, “and it should remain so”.
The virus is adapting to an increasingly immunized population,” said the expert, warning of the appearance of mutations “that somehow manage to deceive our immune system” and “cause some infections”.
In order for the evacuation of the health professional concerned to be carried out in complete safety, the RSBL is required to comply with a set of steps, with natural primacy for the stabilization of the vital signs of the person concerned, decontamination process and respective hospital transport. At the same time, and taking into account the nature of the operation, the use of specific personal protective equipment and the decontamination of all operational personnel are also fundamental procedures.
According to the same study, there is a “clear recovery” of confidence in health services. Only 14.1% of respondents remain little or not confident in the treatment of covid-19, against 32.7% in February.
Good news is that this coming Sunday is the warm return to Kiss Fm of Owen Gee, host of Solid Gold Sunday, after a break for several months due to health reasons. Safe Communities Portugal has a feature on the show “Crime Check” and I will be on the show at around 09:15 hrs. More details later.
Whilst on the subject of rural fires a reminder to take care when using BBQs during periods of very high or maximum fire risk. There are laws on this subject in public areas. In your garden please follow the advice concerning safety available on our website and the Facebook post yesterday. Should use of a BBQ result in a fire the user can be held liable.
A reminder that the official bathing season starts Saturday 29th May 2021. Safe Communities has already summarized the law published last week in the form of the table which, since posting on our Facebook page, has reached many people. We are now awaiting the relaunch of the Praia App which will, among other things, determine the capacity of individual beaches throughout the mainland. Please download this to avoid a wasted journey should you chose a beach that has already reached maximum capacity. Once available we will publish.
This time, the conclusions of the European Council bring greater optimism regarding the evolution of the pandemic. The 27 no longer complain that it is necessary to speed up vaccination and production, but recognize that the pace “has accelerated” and now “must be maintained”.
“The message of caution is a message that we have to keep permanently because it is very clear to everyone that the pandemic has not yet disappeared. Fortunately, vaccination has been evolving at a good pace, but we are far from being covered by the entire population,” he said. António Costa was speaking to Portuguese journalists in Brussels at the end of a two-day European Council.
The new vaccination centre in Ribeira Brava (Centro de Vacinação da Ribeira Brava) has opened on May 23rd at Pavilhão da Serra de Água (Sports Hall), in the parish (freguesia) of Serra de Água, with the inoculation of 600 people (1st & 2nd doses). The Municipality of Ribeira Brava started to provide assistance in the transportation of people who are scheduled to be inoculated. Until last week, the vaccination centre had been located at the Ribeira Brava Health Centre (Centro de Saúde da Ribeira Brava).
“There is a very positive demand from the British market in the Algarve, even above expectations, but we cannot go overboard due to the fact that there is one or another hotel with high occupancy levels,” the president of the Association of Hotels and Enterprises told Lusa. Algarve Tourist Attractions (AHETA).
Although it was quickly overwhelmed and did not cause “any damage to structures or victims”, according to the Faro District Relief Operations Command (CDOS) confirmed, the column of black smoke was visible from a long distance.
At 12:22 local time, Lufthansa’s 320-Neo aircraft, arrived from Frankfurt, Germany, with a capacity for 179 passengers, it landed for the first time at Ponta Delgada airport, on the island of São Miguel.
This involved later in the afternoon the deployment of four helicopters to fight two fires at the Faro/Beja border in Almodover, and then a short while later, a fire occurred inFoz do Carvalo, Alferce necessitating the deployment of a helicopter, although this was brought to a resolution in 40 minutes. Again another example of the muscular approach! Well done to all concerned.
We now come to Covid-19 and once again thank Fernanda Goncalves our board member for highlighting and working out the process calling SNS 808 24 24 24 if you have made an application for a vaccine under the self-scheduling system but have not yet received a SMS. We placed this on Facebook and it has reached around eight thousand and has by your response, clearly helped a number of people who used the line yesterday. We have upload the 
Another advisory post we made yesterday was action to take if caught in a rip current. This is timely as we are just about to enter the Bathing season on 29th May and at present most beaches do not have lifeguards. We thank people who shared their experiences and grateful to all who shared the post reaching some seven thousand people. The information can be 
“The world needs to be better prepared to prevent future health crises”, declared António Costa in a speech he gave in English, by videoconference, at the G20 Global Health Summit, which takes place in Rome.
“The numbers that the municipality presents at this time, compared to what was transmitted to us by the Local Health Unit, would be 235 cases for every 100 thousand inhabitants. However, the numbers of the Directorate-General for Health differ and are 287 per 100 thousand inhabitants », said José Alberto Guerreiro, mayor.
The document was presented by the Minister of the Economy, foresees an investment of 6,112 million euros in the Portuguese tourism sector to surpass the goal of 27,000 million euros of tourist revenues in 2027.
“With regard to the distribution of police force (…), it appears that it is in the age group of 50-54 years that there is a greater incidence of personnel, with 20.22% of the total, being followed by the age groups of 45- 49 years old with 19.03%, 40-44 years old with 15.24%, 55-59 years old with 13.88% and 35-39 years old with 12.34%. ”, Says the document, published on the page of the Internet of the Public Security Police (PSP).