More than half a million tests in Portugal, and restaurants ask for tax help
English language coronavirus news in Portugal on May 11, 2020.
Any way you look at it, we’ve had a great weekend in statistics. Today is the smallest percentage increase in confirmed cases since the start of the pandemic and equal lowest number of deaths since March. But perhaps more pleasingly, the two days before were almost as good with case increases of about 0.5% and roughly 10 deaths per day. There were more than 100 new recoveries confirmed over the weekend but none added today.
A quick note on stats
Statistically, the last few days have been the best we’ve seen. But, it’s really important to point out that it doesn't mean anything when it comes to how we are managing the pandemic in this first week of reopening. I spoke to Miguel Viveiros, deputy director of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine last week for something else I’m working on. He pointed out that the new confirmed cases we see on any given day are the result of what happened about 7-10 days ago. That means we’re likely still a couple of days away from knowing what sort of effect The changes from May 4 are going to have on the spread of COVID-19.
Diário de Notícias goes into the same subject today in much greater depth, labelling this week “decisive”, when it comes to taking a few more steps of freedom. According to experts the number of new cases from Wednesday on should allow us to understand the effect the reopening is having. That’s also the day in which the government will meet with specialists to evaluate the first phase and prepare the second, due to kick in from May 18.
Testing, testing... Testing 1, 2, 547,000
The latest testing figures show Portugal has performed more than half a million tests, Público reports. That 547,000 figure keeps the country among the top few in the world on a per capita basis. Secretary of State for Health António Lacerda Sales said there had been more tests conducted in the first 10 days of May - more than 13,000 per day - than in all of April. That’s good news when you consider various authorities, from the World Health Organization down to individual countries have constantly pointed out the importance of testing widely to track the pandemic.
Público has a fascinating interactive piece that looks closely at those testing rates, as well as the differences between the molecular testing now being used widely to track patients and the serological testing for antibodies. Those antibody tests are still in early days in most countries but it’s hoped they can be used to judge levels of immunity to the disease in recovered patients.
Restaurants ask for tax help as they struggle to survive
After weeks of takeaway-only service or complete closure, the people behind many of the city’s restaurants are worried for their future. In a new social media appeal you may have already seen, chefs and owners are joining together to ask for tax relief, Público reports. Even though restaurants will be allowed to reopen from May 18, they’re concerned restrictions including two metres distance between groups will make it much harder to make money. The group is calling on the government to grant an exemption on the TSU tax that goes to social security and a reduction in VAT from 13% down to 6%. They say it's the only way to guarantee the survival of many restaurants at risk of closing for good. In Porto, the council is allowing larger esplanades, including in places they were previously prohibited, to try to mitigate the effects, Público reports.
In brief
EU proposes extending its travel ban until June 15. The European Commission asked Schengen countries on Friday to extend a restriction on nonessential travel to Europe. For the time being, at least 17 of the Schengen zone's 26 countries have various travel restrictions in place.
SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, found in the semen of infected people. Scientists say this doesn’t mean the new coronavirus is sexually transmissible.
Controversy over whether Festa do Avante! is a festival. The Portuguese Communist Party’s yearly event features bands and lots of revellers but some argue it shouldn’t be considered a summer festival.
Returning school students in years 11 and 12 should be organised into groups to mix with each other as little as possible.
It's impossible to impose rules on small children returning to creche. DGS recommends halving classes and having as few children in rooms as possible.
On a lighter note
Do you know what it means to be “caught with the mouth in the heat bottle”, or “growing at eyes seen”? No, you don’t, because those phrases don’t mean anything. But, the literal equivalents in Portuguese do, and the fine folks at The Portuguese Dictionary want you to know what they mean. A lot of the sayings are a little old fashioned but some, like “not worth the feather” (“não vale a pena” - not worth the effort) are super useful. Personally, I love the Portuguese equivalent of “gotta risk it to get the biscuit” (“Quem não arrisca não petisca” - “who doesn’t risk it doesn’t snack”). As you can see, a lot of the joy comes from the deliberately very literal translations.