Local travel ban in place all week, with some exceptions // 150 rapid vaccination sites and 100,000 jabs a day
Portuguese news in English on Sunday, March 28, 2021.
By the numbers
We’re still on that downward slope for deaths, new cases and hospitalisations but the decrease continues to slow. The average number of new cases is halving roughly every three weeks now, compared to almost every week in February. With the exception of today, Lisbon and the Tejo Valley continues to be the region confirming the most new cases, followed by the North. Madeira continues to record almost as many new cases as the much more populated Centre region.
Local travel ban in place all week, with some exceptions
Don’t forget the ban on travelling outside of your council area is in place right through until April 5 (I’m not sure what time it ends) but there are a few exceptions. Foreigners, Portuguese emigrants and residents of the Azores and Madeira can all travel freely to get to a hotel or Airbnb-style accommodation they have a booking for, Expresso reports. There’s also no restriction on travelling from the mainland to the islands themselves. The other option was to leave home before the travel ban kicked on on March 26, something that seems to have been predictably popular. Expresso reports 10.7% of Portuguese people spent Thursday night more than 100km from home, according to the PSE Mobility Panel. That’s prompted some concern we could see a repeat of the disastrous Christmas period, where people were allowed to gather freely, sparking an explosion of new cases in January and sending us into lockdown. President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa warned dropping our guard over Easter could mean we “fall at the final hurdle” by causing a spike in cases again after so much sacrifice to get them down, Lusa reports.
REOPENING PLAN: Check the full plan and restrictions here
150 rapid vaccination sites and 100,000 jabs a day
There is finally some more promising vaccine news as Portuguese authorities prepare for a tripling of the country’s vaccine supply next month. Prime Minister António Costa said Portugal would receive 1.8 million doses in April, as many as arrived in January, February and March combined, Público reports. That should mean health authorities can administer 100,000 jabs a day but it’s also going to demand better coordination and planning. The PM says 150 rapid vaccination sites will be set up to deal with the increased supply and that, between current National Health System (SNS) employees, “everything is ready so this operation can run seven days a week”. This Health Ministry site is probably the best place for vaccine info but it’s unfortunately only available in Portuguese.
Rest of Europe a threat, but no reason to stop reopening, experts say
The worsening covid-19 situation in much of Europe is a threat to Portugal but shouldn’t stop us from reopening, experts have told Diário de Notícias. As you can see in the European Centre for Disease Control map below, Portugal continues to be one of the European countries least affected by the coronavirus at the moment, behind only Iceland. The experts reiterated the need for mass testing and tracing during a cautious reopening. That caution is particularly warranted given the more infectious UK variant of the coronavirus is responsible for 70% of new infections here and could soon reach 90%, Público reports. As of Wednesday, the country’s labs were processing about 38,000 tests a day, with only one in 80 (1.25%) returning a positive result, Público reported, a good sign in the control of the pandemic. The country as a whole remains in the green zone on the government’s traffic-light system, meaning the next stage of reopening is still set to go ahead on April 5.
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In brief
'An entire nation is being harmed' - Ronaldo hits out after Portugal star denied late winner against Serbia. The Portuguese captain threw his armband on the ground and stormed off after a clear goal was disallowed. (Goal, in English)
Political storm over pension tax rates. A fiscal accord between Portugal and Sweden is at risk over a special tax rate for pensioners. (Público)
Lack of maintenance threatens public museums. In the Museum of Ancient Art, some collections are already at risk. (Público)
On a lighter note
Povóa de Varzim, about 30 kilometres north of Porto, is not the first place that comes to mind when you think “international fashion controversy”. But that’s exactly what happened this week when international designer Tory Burch was caught selling a sweater virtually indistinguishable from the traditional camisolas poveiras warn by the area’s fisherman for €695. To make matters worse, she claimed the design was inspired by the Baja region in Mexico. The designer has apologised and says she is working with the local council to properly attribute the piece. But Público reports the incident has raised questions about properly recognising the design for its cultural heritage, raising questions about how the government’s threats of legal action could struggle without such a certification. You can read more in The Independent, in English, or on the Diet Prada Instagram caption below, which is what brought the sweater global attention.
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