Government 'won't hesitate’ to tighten Christmas restrictions if needed // Why ‘white oil’ is a big deal in Portugal
Portuguese news in English on December 14, 2020.
By the numbers
From Friday until now we’ve had four of the five worst days for covid-19 deaths to date, including 98 deaths yesterday, the worst so far. But the unfortunate new record comes as case numbers continue to decline, with fewer confirmed today than any other day since October 20. Despite this, hospital occupancy is yet to fall significantly from its peak about a week ago and the number of people in ICU is exactly the same as last monday after some variations during the week. University of Porto institute of public health epidemiologist Elisabete Ramos tells Público that we have to think about deaths lagging new cases by about a month, so we’re still seeing deaths from infections leading up to the peak in November.
Source: DGS
Government 'won't hesitate’ to tighten Christmas restrictions if needed
The high number of deaths and people in hospital is within the expected range but the government won’t hesitate to tighten restrictions for Christmas if it’s necessary, Diário de Notícias reports. Secretary of State for Health António Lacerda Sales said the government was expecting pressure on hospitals to grow and deaths to peak within two to five weeks after the peak of new confirmed cases, which occurred about November 20. If it’s necessary to increase restrictions, the government won’t hesitate, he says, but stresses it is searching for a balance between controlling the pandemic and our psychological well-being. This Friday’s Council of Ministers (nice to see them meet during the week for once!) will take into account the whole picture when deciding whether to make any changes, Mr Lacerda Sales says.
Public health doctor Ricardo Mexia hopes to see clear communication about not just rules but also recommendations for celebrating Christmas safely, Público reports. Many experts expect case numbers to increase in January as a consequence of Christmas. Dr Mexia said he was “a bit apprehensive” given Thanksgiving provoked a larger than expected spike in the US.
Hundreds of ventilators yet to arrive
Portugal bought more than 1000 ventilators to prepare for the pandemic but hundreds are yet to arrive at hospitals, TSF Rádio Notícias reports. Of the 1200 purchased, only 797 made it to hospitals. Of those missing, 253 of those are already in the country but can’t be used because they’re missing a piece: a type of plug or adaptor to connect to the oxygen supply. Health Minister Marta Temido said not all of the contracts were executed given supply constraints driven by such high global demand for ventilators.
Why ‘white oil’ is a big deal in Portugal
Lithium, the incredibly light metal helping to power everything from phones to cars, is becoming a major issue in Portugal. The Guardian published a long read in English last week digging into the balance between the need for more lithium to power electric cars and more jobs for the country’s poorer interior. Deposits in central and northern Portugal are Europe’s major hope for extracting so-called “white oil”, more than half of the supply of which currently comes from Australia. But, there are also concerns about the environmental impact large-scale mining could have on the regions in question. Earlier this year Reuters reported in English opposition to mining the metal was gaining ground, encompassing not just protest groups but the passing anti-exploration motions by several municipalities. In an interview with Diário de Notícias published at the weekend, Environment Minister João Pedro Matos Fernandes presents the issue as a balancing act: if the local environmental impacts are worse than the environmental benefits, there won’t be a mine.
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In brief
New York Coronavirus Vaccine Distribution Begins (New York Times, in English)
Environment Minister says Portugal will hit 80% renewable energy by 2030 (Diário de Notícias)
Christmas in Europe: from Germany’s ‘lockdown light’ and a market ban in Italy to the UK’s ‘Christmas bubbles' (BBC, in English)
Contracts to be protected until June if tenants pay rent. The government intends to extend a law preventing evictions of those keeping up with their rent payments. (Diário de Notícias)
On a lighter note
Big wave surfing is back on the cards at Nazaré, after a roughly month-long ban sparked by thousands of people flocking to the town to watch a massive swell in early November, Beachcam reports. But the world’s best big-wave riders will only be allowed in the water from sunrise to 1pm on weekdays, according to the decree by Nazaré port captain José António Zeferino Henriques. Nazaré mayor Walter Chicharro said his council was still waiting to hear back from health authorities about a proposed contingency plan that would allow 2500 people to spread across the lighthouse, hill and beach on days with big waves.
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