More countries restrict or block entry from Portugal, and police search for missing toddler Madeleine McCann's body
Portuguese news in English on July 13, 2020.
By the numbers
It was pretty much business as usual over the weekend in terms of the latest data, with new cases hovering around 300. A recalculation on Saturday added about 200 cases, making that day look worse than it actually was. In better news, there haven’t been this few people in intensive care (63), since June 8. Of course we know that hospitalisations and deaths both lag behind new cases by as much as a few weeks so it’s hard to know if these relatively low levels of hospital occupation will continue.
16 European countries restrict or block entry from Portugal
Hungary is the latest European country to place restrictions on anyone arriving from Portugal, Diário de Notícias reports. From Wednesday, Portuguese residents must prove they tested negative to COVID-19 in the five days before arriving to avoid quarantine. We’re now blocked from entering eight European Union countries and face restrictions in another eight. Austria, Cyprus, Denmark, Slovakia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania and Romania aren’t letting Portuguese travellers in. Belgium, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Estonia, Malta, Holland and the UK are the other nearby countries restricting but not fully blocking travel from Portugal. That could mean mandatory quarantine, showing a negative test or restrictions on travel only from certain parts of the country, such as the most-affected areas of greater Lisbon. Portuguese medical researcher Professor Paulo Santos became the latest expert to criticise the reliance on new cases per capita as the sole indicator to restrict travel from certain places, Público reported. Last week, Portuguese researchers released an analysis finding the UK’s decision to maintain quarantine restrictions on arrivals from Portugal lacked “scientific rigour and transparency”, as I reported for The Telegraph in English.
If you are thinking of travelling, please do your own research on your destination. Look at embassy or government websites for the latest information on travel.
The blue line is cases confirmed DAILY and the other line is the TOTAL number of deaths, hence why it keeps climbing. Click here for an interactive version.
Firefighter dies fighting blaze in central Portugal
A town in central Portugal is in mourning after a senior firefighter died fighting flames at the Serra da Lousã mountain in the district of Coimbra, Público reports. The Mirando do Corvo city council declared three days of mourning after José Augusto Dias Fernandes died while leading his team on Saturday. President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said it was a profound loss for someone who gave so much to the country. Three other firefighters were injured, one seriously. The commander of the Miranda do Corvo firefighters told CMTV the crew was experienced and it still wasn’t clear exactly what happened, but it was “probably” smoke inhalation. Close to 200 firefighters eventually brought the fire under control on Saturday night. The worst fires in the country’s history killed 114 people in 2017 and there are fears the combination of predicted high temperatures and the coronavirus pandemic could lead to a bad fire season this year. You can read more in English from Reuters.
Police search wells for missing toddler Madeleine McCann's body
Police investigating the disappearance and alleged murder of British girl Madeleine McCann have searched wells in the Algarve for her body, Diário de Notícias reports. The searches, which followed public appeals for information from British and German police, were unsuccessful. The 13-year saga shot back into the headlines in early June when German prosecutors said they were investigating 43-year-old German national Christian Brückner on suspicion of murder and they believed the girl was dead. The BBC has a pretty thorough timeline of the investigation in English if you are unfamiliar with the story or want to learn more. Reports of the searches of three wells near Vila do Bispo - about 10 minutes from the Portuguese resort the three-year-old disappeared from on May 3, 2017 - first emerged in British Tabloid The Mirror on Saturday. The Telegraph reports, in English, that Portuguese police have interviewed some of Brückner’s former neighbours.
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In brief
Mayors of Loures and Sintra say the latest pandemic data is “encouraging”. The mayors of two of the greater Lisbon councils with parishes in lockdown weren’t entirely positive. Sintra Mayor Basílio Horta said 700 infected patients hadn’t been contacted on Friday and Loures assigned workers to make sure the correct number of buses were running. (Público)
Portuguese researchers removing the toxic part from malaria and ebola drugs in a possible effort to fight COVID-19. (Diário de Notícias)
Brexit: Only 39% of Portuguese exports will be exempt from tariffs. Medicines, chemicals, wood and cork, plastics, paper and pulp, aluminum, iron, and steel will be exempt. (Diário de Notícias)
On a lighter note
Lisbon’s bike-sharing network is being significantly expanded and made free for a trial period, Time Out reports. I know a lot of us are doing our best to avoid public transport where possible at the moment but it’s not always that easy. This initiative should hopefully help with that, although it’s unclear when the changes are going to be rolled out. New docks for the Gira bikes will be installed in Campolide, Campo de Ourique, Alcântara, Ajuda and Belém. According to Time Out, the free bikes experiment is aimed at students, residents and workers, with the objective to create monthly passes with a set amount of time to use.
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