Masks set to remain mandatory indoors // Portugal the most vaccinated country in the world // We may hit 85% next week
Portuguese news in English on Friday, September 17, 2021.
By the numbers
We’re still heading in the right direction on all counts. Daily deaths are back in the single figures, case numbers are falling and we have fewer than 500 Covid-19 patients in hospital and 100 in intensive care for the first time since June. As far as vaccines go, 87.01% of people have had at least one dose and 81.82% are fully vaccinated, according to Público.
Masks set to remain mandatory indoors long-term
The government intends to keep mask-wearing mandatory inside when we move into the next stage of reopening expected later this month, Público reports. While venue occupancy limits are set to be removed and nightclubs reopen when we hit 85% of people fully vaccinated, next Thursday’s Council of Ministers is expected to vote in favour of keeping the mask rules. Wearing a mask on the street ceased to be compulsory on Monday, as expected, after 318 days, Público reports. The Directorate-General of Health still recommends wearing a mask if you think you’re going to run into big groups of people or not be able to physically distance but it’s no longer the law. People with COVID-19 or its symptoms or who have been in contact with someone who is infected still have to legally wear a mask. And obviously it's every individual person’s right to keep wearing a mask outside if they want to.
Portugal hits 80% fully vaccinated, most in the world
The head of the vaccine rollout has declared victory over the coronavirus after Portugal became one of the first in the world to fully vaccinate four out of every five residents, I’ve written for 9News, in English. "We have beaten this virus," taskforce leader Vice-Admiral Henrique Gouveia e Melo said on Wednesday. "At least, the first battle is won and this is a great relief for all of us." He justified his optimism by pointing to falling infections even in our current stage of reopening. According to the Our World in Data tracker, Portugal has the highest percentage (81.54%) of fully vaccinated residents in the world (except some small islands) closely followed by Malta (81.01%) The United Arab Emirates (79.19%) — which has the highest single-dose rate in the world — Qatar (75.70%), Spain (76.10%) and Singapore (76.01%). But Miguel Viveiros, the deputy director of Lisbon's highly respected Institute of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, sounded a note of caution. "We have controlled the disease," Professor Viveiros said. "Defeated the virus? It's very optimistic from a microbiological point of view."
The 85% vax target might be reached next week
We may hit 85% fully vaccinated as soon as next week but health experts are already planning for autumn, winter and particularly the higher-risk Christmas and New Year period, Público reports. Pulmonologist Dr Raquel Duarte said the pandemic was not over and that it was not time for a complete cancellation of containment measures, like with the UK’s “freedom day”. Measures such as distancing, occupancy limits, good ventilation and masks should remain but move from being mandatory to a self-evaluation depending on the situation. They looked at three possible scenarios — no new variants and vaccine efficacy lasting for three years; no new variant with new shots needed every year, and a new variant that leads to increasing deaths — with varying responses. One concern is if the festive season comes at a time where immunity is starting to wane, Diário de Notícias reports, but there’s still a lot of work to be done to work out how long vaccine protection lasts.
Council elections (Autárquicas) next weekend
The local council elections are on September 26. European Union citizens living in Portugal, UK citizens registered here before Brexit and citizens of Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Iceland, Norway, New Zealand, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela living here for three years can all vote. Unfortunately, the electoral rolls closed 60 days before the elections, meaning it’s now too late to register to vote. More information is available from the National Election Commission, but only in Portuguese.
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In brief
Check your emails for a letter from the Immigration and Borders Service (SEF). SEF has started contacting foreigners with pending cases dating all the way back to 2017 in an attempt to clean out the backlog. That piece is from last month, I missed the news at the time. In the latest update, SEF officers are this month expecting to be dealing with applications from 2019. Obviously don’t worry about any of this if you’re already registered. (Diário de Notícias)
Concerns raised over what happens to SEF database when organisation is scrapped. Public prosecutors say the government’s transition plan doesn’t say whether the powerful database will be handed to the newly created Foreigners and Asylum Service or to the police forces. (Diário de Notícias)
Assembly of the republic gives government power to limit profit margins on petrol, diesel and gas. The approval, which doesn’t specify specific limits, meant efforts from other parties to cut a fuel tax or introduce more sweeping pricing reforms failed. (Diário de Notícias)
On a lighter note
Wine, and seafood, together in harmony. If I was to make a list of the best things about living in Portugal, I can guarantee they’d be right up near the top. But my god, there’s a lot to learn. I’ve seen estimates putting the number of grape varieties grown here above 300 and when it comes to mariscos, the Portuguese seemingly eat just about everything you can find living in the sea, from amêijoas (clams) and mexilhões (mussels) right through to percebes (goose barnacles), lapas (limpets)and cracas (I’m not sure but maybe also barnacles?). So if you’re looking to experiment beyond “um jarro de vinho tinto/branco da casa, se faz favor”, it can be a challenge to think about pairing all of these options up. Público is here to help with a guide to pairing vinho and mariscos. It’s in Portuguese but you can translate in your browser or even just look at the pictures and the names of the wines.
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