Lockdown should continue through March, reopening talk ‘premature’ // Coronavirus testing guidelines expanded
Portuguese news in English on February 12, 2021.
By the numbers
New case numbers have crept back up through the week (4387 yesterday) but the number of Covid-19 patients dying every day continues to drop, which is a welcome relief. Hospital occupancy is falling but ICUs are still well over capacity, hence the help from more foreign countries mentioned below. The Lisbon and Tejo Valley region is recording more than twice as many new cases as the North now, with the Centre region not far behind.
Lockdown should continue through March, reopening talk ‘premature’
Portugal’s leaders are now suggesting the lockdown should last right through March, with the Prime Minister insisting it’s far too early to start thinking about reopening, Público reports. President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa had asked the government for plans to reopen and return to school after March but Prime Minister António Costa inisted any such talk was “premature”. “It’s not the time to start discussing total or partial reopening,” Mr Costa said, stressing we were “still a long way” from being able to reduce new infections to a level that would permit lifting the lockdown.” Beyond that, the PM warned to not expect a normal Easter and reinforced two “new risks”: the lack of vaccines and more contagious new variants. Production slowdowns in Europe mean Portugal will receive less than half of the vaccine doses expected in this first quarter, 1.98 million instead of 4.4 million. The more transmissible UK variant already represents 43% of new cases in Portugal.
Coronavirus testing guidelines expanded
All contacts of covid-19 patients, whether high-risk or not, should now be tested, under new health directions published on Thursday, Lusa reports. The Directorate-General of Health says even low-risk contacts should now get a PCR test (the more accurate test we’re familiar with that requires a deep nose swab and a 24-hour or so wait for results) for SARS-CoV-2 as soon as they’re identified. When there’s a cluster or outbreak, all contacts should get a rapid test, also known as an antigen test, as quickly as possible, which can be repeated regularly under the administration of authorities. The widespread availability of rapid tests in health centres and regular rapid testing in schools and particularly vulnerable sectors such as factory and building site workers will also be promoted.
France and Luxembourg come to Portugal’s aid
More emergency medical help has arrived from abroad to help Portugal’s overloaded hospital system. Two teams of doctors and nurses from France and Luxembourg are expected to arrive next week and stay for at least 15 days, Público reports. The teams of four are headed for Hospital do Espírito Santo in Évora and Hospital Garcia de Orta, across the river from Lisbon in Almada. Health Minister Marta Temido says both hospitals’ intensive care units are still under a lot of pressure. Two dozen German doctors and nurses flown into Portugal have already been put to work but it’s not clear if the 10 patients said to be headed to Austria have been sent yet.
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In brief
Auditors Court looks into €1.3 million of subsidies to higher education directors (Público)
Supermarkets can sell books again. It ends a weird restriction that stopped large supermarkets from selling books to avoid giving them an unfair advantage over small bookshops, which must remain closed.
Ombudswoman asks for aid to be extended to parents of young children working from home (Público)
On a lighter note
European Best Destinations is at it again. Travellers’ votes to the world’s most prolific (I assume, they seem to have a new set of awards every week) travel awards organisation have elected Braga as the number one destination in Europe to visit this year. That’s once we’re allowed to do things like visiting destinations again, of course. I haven’t spent anywhere near enough time in the northern city but the short time I spent there was fantastic. But just as Aveiro is not Portugal’s answer to Venice, don’t go into Braga expecting the “Portuguese Rome”, as the website suggests, but do go and visit the Bom Jesus. It’s a very good (tribute to) Jesus.
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