Lisbon on alert as two councils go backwards // British Champions League visitors spark worries in Porto
Portuguese news in English on Sunday, May 30, 2021.
By the numbers
Case numbers have been ticking up for about two weeks now but deaths and (until today) hospitalisations are yet to follow suit. In fact, there haven’t been this few COVID-19 patients in hospital since August and you have to go right back to the start of the pandemic to find so few deaths or people in ICU. Six covid-19 patients have died this week. As of today, the national average of cases per 100,000 people per fortnight is 59,6 and the R number is 1.07.
Lisbon on alert as two councils go backwards
Central Lisbon runs the risk of taking a step backwards in reopening if case numbers don’t drop within two weeks. Figures for the Lisbon City Council municipality were already above the limit of 120 per 100,000 people over two weeks when the Council of Ministers met on Thursday to evaluate the state of the pandemic in Portugal, Diário de Notícias reported. Minister of State for the Presidency Mariana Vieira da Silva said the situation was “cause for concern” and noted that as the pandemic had also worsened slightly on a national level, more care was needed. Arganil goes back to restrictions from April 5, Golegã goes back to April 19 and Montalegre e Odemira stay where they are. Albufeira, Castelo de Paiva, Fafe, Lagoa, Oliveira do Hospital and Santa Comba Dão took a step forward while Tavira, Vila do Bispo e Vila Nova de Piava remained on alert, joined by Chamusca, Salvaterra de Magos and Vale de Cambra. The country remains in a state of calamity until 11.59pm on June 13.
British Champions League visitors spark worries in Porto
Another week, another wave of concern over the maskless, drunken, tightly packed behaviour of football fans. This time it’s the Champions League final, which Chelsea won in Porto last night, that has experts worried, Público reports. Not so much for the risk of immediate transmission, although that’s obviously a concern, but because of the potential “corrosion of the state’s authority” and “legitimacy” to impose restrictions. One expert described the celebrations as the exact antithesis of all the restrictions we’ve been subject to.
President and experts clash over risk measures
The changes to restrictions I outlined above are based on what the government is calling a risk matrix, measuring R (explained by the BBC) and the number of cases. President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa has called for changes to the measurements, arguing that increasing levels of vaccination are changing the risks of getting sick, Diário de Notícias reports. While cases might not be falling, he argued the impact on the National Health System was much reduced (as I noted above in By the numbers). But the experts advising the government recommended keeping the same measurements, arguing a lower incidence meant a lower probability of transmission and that case numbers were an early indicator for how well measures were working. Health Minister Marta Temido sat on the fence, saying we could return to normality while still using the matrix.
Vaccines available for over-50s, over-40s from June 6
If you’re 50 and you know it raise your hand (to your computer or phone to book a vaccine appointment). Anyone over 50 can now register to get a jab through the government’s online portal, Público reports. From June 6, those in their 40s can start getting, while those in their 30s must wait until June 20, but it’s possible the online portal will accept bookings earlier than those dates. Those dates are the same in the whole country, despite a brief furore sparked when Deputy Health Minister António Lacerda Sales suggested the Lisbon and the Tejo Valley region would get priority. In other vaccine news, more than half a million, or about 27% of text messages sent offering vaccine bookings weren’t responded to, Público reported. The majority (71%) responded with a “yes” and just 25 with a “no”.
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In brief
Rental prices in Lisbon jumped more than any other big European city since 2013. International Monetary Fund analysis pegged Lisbon as the eighth-most expensive capital in which to rent a two-bedroom apartment. (Diário de Notícias)
The IVAucher lets you save in summer to spend in autumn. Taxpayers get their VAT back on purchases billed in the restaurant, accommodation and culture sectors from June to August, to be spent in the same sectors in the following quarter. (Diário de Notícias).
Europe's biggest cannabis factory to open in Caldas da Rainha. With three floors of plants grown for medicinal use using aeroponics, LED lights and solar energy, the owner says it’s “industry, not agriculture”. (Público)
On a lighter note
This week’s lighter note is dedicated to some of the amazing small shops you can probably find within metres of your front door if you live in the city (or many towns). I’ve spoken to you about drogarias before, the tiny hardware shops that seem to stock almost everything except the drugs their name would lead you to assume. But, before you rush off to Ikea or Leroy Merlin or anything like that, I’d also urge you to look for a local lighting shop, tailor or bootmaker in your neighbourhood. Having just moved house, they’ve been so useful. it’s a joy to be able to repair and reuse things and get great service and avoid the headache of driving to a massive chain store.
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