Experts considering easing some pandemic restrictions // Teen accused of planning attack at Lisbon university
Portuguese news in English on Saturday, February 12, 2022.
By the numbers
Infections appear to have clearly peaked and are falling steadily for the first time since October. The average number of COVID-19 deaths a day is still rising slowly but hopefully that’s just part of the normal lag we’re used to seeing. The number of people with COVID-19 in hospital is still high but has dropped slightly in the past couple of days, same with ICU numbers. On February 4, the Directorate-General of Health said about 75% of hospital patients in wings dedicated to COVID-19 were there principally because of the disease, meaning about a quarter were hospitalised to treat another condition, Público reports. As of today, 53.9% of the population has had a booster shot, Público reports.
Experts considering easing some pandemic restrictions
Portugal is on the way to easing some restrictions, as experts consider changes to testing and isolation rules, Público reports. Director-General of Health Graça Freitas last week floated the possibility that people who test positive but don’t have symptoms would no longer be required to isolate. Researchers are also looking at winding back the mask mandate to include only high-risk settings and looking at and turning vaccines into something “selective, seasonal and for high-risk groups”, after the current booster rollout is finished. Nothing has been decided yet but pulmonologist Raquel Duarte, who has worked extensively with the government on reopening plans, says it’s time to wind back some measures step by step while watching the consequences.
Teen accused of planning attack at Lisbon university
The teenager accused of planning a detailed attack on fellow students at the University of Lisbon will remain behind bars amid concerns over the continuations of his alleged efforts and disturbance of the peace, Público reports. The 18-year-old, who hasn’t been named, faced court on Friday accused of terrorism and carrying a prohibited weapon, after the Judiciary Police announced his arrest on Thursday. The investigative force accused him of planning an attack for months, saying officers had found a written plan and weapons — knives, katanas, steel darts and a bow and arrows, according to Público — in a Thursday morning search.
Widespread drought after sixth driest January in almost 100 years
You weren’t imagining it; January had bizarrely nice weather. In fact, it was the sixth driest since 1931, leaving 45% of the country in severe or extreme drought, Público reports. Meteorologists have blamed a so-called blocking anticyclone sitting in one spot further north than normal and keeping the rain away, sparking concerns for farmers and the risk of earlier forest fires. February looks set to be much drier than normal too, with some indications that March will follow suit. Vanda Cabrinha from Portugal’s weather bureau said the weather pattern couldn’t be linked directly to climate change but situations like it would become more and more frequent. It’s an interesting time to mark 20 years since the creation of the Alentejo’s enormous Alqueva dam, which Público notes radically changed the landscape, guaranteed water for 200,000 people and made Portugal self-sufficient in olive oil production but failed to stop the flow of people away from the region: 41,000 in 10 years.
If you find this newsletter useful, please help out if you can.
In brief
More than 200 alleged church abuse victims come forward in one month. Many of the 214 mentioned other children who might have been abused by the same person. (Reuters, in English)
Analysis: High hopes for Portugal's optimism-prone Socialist PM after big win. It’s a bit late but I’m putting this here for anyone who hasn’t had a chance to catch up on the election results. (The Guardian, in English)
Don’t stick your self-test swab in the reagent liquid until AFTER you’ve swabbed your nose. Some kit reagents contain the preservative sodium azide, which can be harmful if ingested even at low doses. It can cause low blood pressure, dizziness, headaches, heart palpitations and, in severe cases, seizures, loss of consciousness and death.
Israeli Community of Porto made tens of millions of euros from program to grant Portuguese citizenship to Sephardi Jews. Some members have private business relating to the citizenship program.
Vodafone falls victim to cyber attack, knocking out communications and various critical services. Medical laboratory chain Germano de Sousa said it was hacked just a few days later. (Público)
On a lighter note
Portuguese shows are finally starting to arrive on the big streaming platforms. Até Que a Vida Nos Separe (Until Life Do Us Part) is the first local series to be bought by streaming giant Netflix, as opposed to Glória, which was the company’s first original Portuguese series, Público reports. The RTP1 show is apparently about love, featuring multiple generations of the one family and joins several other titles on Amazon Prime (Chegar a Casa, A Espia, A Crónica dos Bons Malandros, Bem Bom) and HBO Portugal (Terra Nova, Sul, Auga Seca). Amazon Prime is releasing crime thriller Operação Maré Negra (Operation Black Tide), a Spanish-Portuguese production, on February 25.
Please keep sharing on Facebook, in real life or anywhere else you see people a bit confused by the latest news.