New Santos Populares rules in Lisbon from today, but shopping centres can reopen next week
Portuguese news in English on June 10, 2020.
By the numbers
New cases keep popping up every day in higher numbers than we’d like. Yesterday (432) was the worst on that front for a month and today is roughly in line with most of last week. But deaths remain relatively low and there are more recoveries than new cases today for the first time in more than a week. Of today’s new cases, 92% are in the Lisbon and Tejo Valley region.
Lisbon, shopping centres and Santos Populares
Greater Lisbon is no longer reopening at a different pace to the rest of the country, with shopping centres and shops bigger than 400 sq m allowed to open from June 15, Público reports. From the same date, people can gather in groups of up to 20, occupancy restrictions in private passenger transport are lifted and Lojas do Cidadão can reopen, in line with the rest of the country. Experts continue to pay close attention to the continued increase in cases in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, Público reports. National School of Public Health director Carla Nunes says the continued spread is “probably” due to two factors: more tests and the reopening of the country’s economy. She said the outbreaks were occurring in urban areas, in “settings still more or less localised, namely civil constructions and some businesses.” The cases shouldn’t be particularly problematic because the majority of patients were young, she said.
New restrictions this week
While Lisbon is getting back in step with the rest of the country, this week will be one of the greatest examples of how far things still are from normal. June is typically the opposite of lockdown, with seemingly the whole city on the streets, blanketed by the sound of pimba music and the smell of grilling sardines wafting throughout the Santos Populares (Popular Saints) festival. June 12, the night of Santo Antonio, is particularly busy. From today until 10am on Sunday in the Lisbon council area, the famous street barbecues are banned, along with the big parties and dinners that make up the arraias (Santos festivities), Diário de Notícias reports. Convenience stores must close at 4pm each day, the same time service stations must stop selling alcohol, while cafes, pastelarias and similar outlets must shut at 7pm. The tricky part will be finding out if your little corner shop is considered a convenience store or if it counts as a minimarket grocery store or something else entirely.
In Porto, there will be no public transport and a reinforced police presence on the night of São João, Público reports.
The night of Santo António is about as far from physical distancing as you can get. Photo: Jorge Branco
Portugal’s contagion rate higher than others in Europe
After months of praise for its handling of the pandemic, Portugal is now faring worse than many European countries on one key metric, Público reports. The R number, or Rt when it refers to a specific point in time in a specific country or region, measures the spread of the disease or how many people each patient infects on average. Essentially, if the number is above 1 the outbreak is growing and below one it’s shrinking, but because of the way cases compound, at times exponentially, the difference between and Rt of 1.1 and 1.2 can quickly become enormous. Nationally, that number has been above 1 since the middle of May, higher than Norway (0.83), Austria (0.91), Germany (0.87), Spain (0.77) and Belgium (0.75). That’s much better than the 2.39 it hit in March but means the number of infections is still growing, although experts are confident we’re seeing a “stabilisation” and that the spread is under control. President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, taking the stage in front of just a handful of people on Portugal Day, said the country could not pretend the pandemic or the resulting economic crisis didn’t exist, Diário de Notícias reported. He called for Portugal to take advantage of this “unique opportunity” to “think differently” and avoid “yesterday’s solutions” to problems.
This chart shows major changes with the announcement (anúncio) and actual closure of school (escolas), and the announcement and implementation of the state of emergency (Emergência). Chart: Público.
Adeus to the Finance Minister
Finance Minister Mario Centeno is leaving the portfolio, Público reports, after delivering a supplementary budget with an extra €4.3 billion in spending and €4.4 billion less in revenue. He’ll also step down as the president of the Eurogroup of European finance ministers from July 13. It remains to be seen whether Mr Centeno will be nominated to head up the Bank of Portugal, as he is hoping. Soon-to-be finance minister João Leão announced the budget deficit would be 6.3%, pointing to the pandemic to explain the enormous increase in spending and loss of revenue, mostly from tax and social security, Diário de Notícias reported. The same paper reports public debt is set to hit 134.4% of GDP, thanks mostly to a fall in GDP, and that €1.2 billion has been reserved for national airline TAP, although talks continue on that front.
In brief
Beach capacities announced for North, Central and Alentejo regions (Público)
WHO expert backtracks after saying asymptomatic transmission 'very rare'. World Health Organization expert Dr Maria Van Kerkhove admits modelling studies estimate up to 40% of coronavirus infections could be transmitted by asymptomatic patients, maintaining “we don’t have the answer yet” in real-world conditions. (The Guardian, English)
Politics is returning to Portugal after months of virtually unanimous agreement to fight the pandemic. The President and the left talk about controlled numbers, but the right is unconvinced and concerned by the “wrong signals” sent by the weekend’s protests. (Público)
Ten workers infected at Sonae-DHL in Azambuja, says union (Diário de Notícias)
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On a lighter note
It’s a well known fact that calories from “cultural experiences” (much like the food you steal off someone else’s plate) simply don’t count*. And what could be more cultural than a Pastel de Belém on Portugal Day? How about six, for just €2, delivered to your door? I’m not a massive fan of Uber Eats and the other delivery platforms because they take a big cut so restaurants often end up making almost no money from them and the drivers aren’t particularly well paid. But, after months without a really good pastel de nata (or Belém), this one seems too good to miss. According to Time Out, the deal lasts until 7pm tonight.
*This is, of course, complete bullshit.
Photo: Jorge Branco.
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