National antibody testing roadmap proposed, and make sure you're not wearing your mask wrong
English language coronavirus news in Portugal on June 2, 2020.
We have a double dose of good news for today. The number of new confirmed cases is slightly lower again (five less than yesterday) and the number of confirmed recoveries is much higher. Combined, the two figures mean the overall number of active cases has dropped by 134 to 11,590. The number of new deaths is roughly the same as it has been for the past two weeks. There are only outbreaks of community transmission in the Lisbon and Tejo Valley region, where 81% of the new cases are, and the north, Diário de Notícias reports.
Twenty scientists propose national antibody testing road map
Scientists from a host of different Portuguese universities and institutes have hatched the most comprehensive plan yet to profile the spread of the coronavirus through the population, Público reports. They want to start by selecting a random but representative sample of about 5000 people in July for the first of a series of three serological tests. It’s hoped the effort will help guide the government in what to expect from a potential second (or third) wave. It will also help researchers figure out how many people were asymptomatic or suffered only minor symptoms and what level of antibodies they developed to fight COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus Those three tests will be performed over about nine months, with the third phase to be an extended sample of 25,000-30,000 people. Sorry, these aren’t the personal antibodies tests some of you are hoping for. “It is impossible to analyze everyone,” notes group coordinator Dr Carlos Penha Gonçalves
“The sample will be probabilistic: everyone is just as likely to belong to this sample. It is not a sample for convenience, for example [chosen] outside a supermarket.”
Tourists are coming back, ever so slowly
Portugal’s famed cultural monuments are reopening and once again attracting tourists, even if only a very small number, Diário de Notícias reports. It’s a completely different reality than before the pandemic, when huge lines would wind their way out of Lisbon’s São Jorge Castle all day long. Less than 200 people passed through until midday yesterday, a long way from the usual figure of about 5000-10,000 a day. The castle’s operators used the break to get through a lot of restoration work - an “extreme makeover” as they called it - that wasn’t possible with the normal “avalanche” of tourists. But those who made a living from the visiting hordes weren’t as lucky. After two months being closed, Ludovina e Daniel Lopes’ cafe opened two weeks ago but they felt they would have been better off staying home thanks to the lack of customers. Prime Minister António Costa and other government ministers have stressed there “was not, is not and will not be” a mandatory quarantine for tourists entering the country.
Avoid the five main mistakes made when wearing a mask
I hope by now you’re all wearing masks in enclosed spaces and especially on public transport. And I’m sure you’ve all seen people really stretching the limit of the word “wearing” with masks covering only part of their face or maybe hanging off one ear. In case anyone is still unsure what they should be doing, Diário de Notícias has highlighted the five main errors and some possibly lesser-known advice for washing and removing your mask. The errors are fairly obvious: Don’t leave your nose, chin or mouth exposed, place the mask under your chin to talk to someone or leave gaps on the side. Additionally, make sure you wash your hands before and after putting your mask on or taking it off and only touch the straps, not the fabric part. Swap or wash it if it gets moist, throw it away (if disposable) without touching the fabric and don’t touch the mask, your eyes or your face while wearing it. Masks are an extra precaution, not a replacement for social distancing or proper hand or respiratory hygiene.
In brief
Real estate investors present plan to relaunch the economy. (Diário de Notícias) They want lower taxes on new buildings and a relaunch of the golden visa scheme, which was severely wound back in February. (Lusa, English)
Bloco Esquerda (Left Bloc) wants to use the crisis as an opportunity to overhaul labor laws. The party’s proposal includes strengthening support for loss of unemployment and income, prohibiting redundancies in state-supported companies and eradicating informal work and combating insecure employment. (Diário de Notícias)
Cascais bans the sale of alcohol at service stations between 8pm and 8am. Mayor Carlos Carreiras said there’d been gatherings of more than 10 people at some petrol stations. (Diário de Notícias)
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On a lighter note
If you’re planning some summer getaways you should think beyond the big cities and the classic tourist spots like the Algarve and the Douro Valley. Or at least that’s part of the idea Visit Alentejo is hoping to get across with this new video (in English) dedicated to Portugal’s largest and probably most diverse region. The advertisement is pretty simple but does a good job of showing off some of the highlights of this area stretching from the Algarve to north-east of Lisbon and from the Atlantic Ocean right to the Spanish border. Personally, I would have spent a bit more time focusing on the spectacular food and wine but maybe that’s why I’m a journalist and not an advertising guy.
I’m hoping to keep as many expats informed as possible, so please share this with any friends you think might find it useful.