Almost every new case is in Greater Lisbon, and how Portugal built a world-class testing regime
English language coronavirus news in Portugal on May 26, 2020.
Today’s figures are pretty stable again. The increase in new cases is slightly higher but still much less than 1%. The interesting part, which I’ll get into below the graphic, is where the new cases have been confirmed. Today is also the third day in a row with more recoveries confirmed than new cases, which is always a positive.
Only 10 of today’s new confirmed cases are outside of Greater Lisbon
Almost every new case (96%) confirmed today is in the Lisbon and Tejo Valley region, Diário de Notícias reports. Authorities pointed to some “more or less localised” outbreaks, including three small community focal points in Almada-Seixal, just across the river from Lisbon, which sparked 32 infections. Director-General of Health Graça Freitas said the “complex” situation was under observation but also under “very tight” control measures. The figures followed on from a DN report this morning highlighting that the poorer parts of Portuguese society were starting to be affected. Bairro da Jamaica, in Seixal, is one of those areas, with 16 cases to date. An outbreak in Azambuja, in the Ribatejo, that led to 120 infections, appeared to be coming under control, Freitas said.
Why Portugal's Covid-19 testing rate is more than double almost every other nation
We all know Portugal is not a rich country. In fact, the most-recent comparison (in 2012) showed it had the fewest critical care beds in Europe. But somehow it’s been able to build a world-class testing regime with a rate (per capita) higher than the UK, France, Switzerland and even Germany. This report I’ve been working on for a few weeks has been published in The Telegraph in English today. I spoke to some of the country’s most respected medical experts about why and they had some really interesting things to say. A lot of it came down to giving private labs and universities permission to carry out tests but there was a bit more to it than that. It’s a bit of a long read but I hope you enjoy it.
Flights, flights and more flights
If my inbox is anything to go by, a lot of you have been wanting to know what’s happening with flights in and out of Portugal. Well, today is your lucky day because there’s a tonne of airline news. Ryanair announced today that it would start flying to Portugal daily from Ireland, the UK, Belgium, The Netherlands and Germany from July 1, Público reported. The airline says it's planning to operate 40% of its normal schedule and has launched a minor sale offer. Transavia will start flying between Lisbon or Faro and Amsterdam from June 4, while Easyjet will link Porto and Lisbon with Geneva again from the middle of June, Público also reported. The paper also reports TAP’s plans for a return to flying have annoyed mayors in the country’s north, who have complained of an “insult to the region” and accused the airline of abandoning the country. They’re annoyed because most of the planned flights are out of Lisbon.
In brief
National Maritime Authority gives positive assessment of busy beach weekend. Despite the massive crowds and more than 2300 “recommendation actions” directed at individuals or groups, the AMN said people were generally following distancing rules. The biggest problem was younger people playing group sports, such as volleyball, the spokesman said. (Público)
Nos Primavera Sound in Porto delayed again, this time until June next year (Público)
Alojamento Local (the local accommodation program) becomes a “toxic asset”. New registrations fell back to 2014 levels with just 189 units, down from 1021 in March. (Publico)
Purchases in shops jump 12%, approaching pre-pandemic levels (Público)
On a lighter note
Not to harp on about beaches yet again but it is that time of year. European Best Destinations, A Brussels-based website “developed to promote culture & tourism in Europe”, has named three Portuguese beaches in its top 10 “safest” for coronavirus. According to Público’s report, the organisation considered a low number of cases, the size of the beaches and the number of square metres available per person when including Comporta (2), Porto Santo (4) and Meia Praia de Lagos (7) in the list. It also considered local accommodation options and locations close to hospitals that were never overloaded. Look, it’s definitely not medical-grade advice but these beaches are probably worth checking out before the crowds come pouring in. You can read about from the website in English here.
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