Portugal’s 10-year economic recovery plan revealed, and WHO says coronavirus particles floating indoors may be infecting people
Portuguese news in English on July 10, 2020
By the numbers
We’ve ended the week on a bad run with three days in a row of more than 400 cases. The problem continues to centre on greater Lisbon, which was responsible for 85% of today’s new cases. Público reports that it’s two months since so many cases (1263) have been confirmed in the space of three days. Fortunately, only two people died and there were a lot of recoveries, just not enough to match the new cases. Health Minister Marta Temido said the Rt over the past five days was 1 nationally and 0,96 in greater Lisbon. There are 161 active outbreaks in the country: 107 in the Lisbon and Tagus Valley region, 27 in the North, 10 in the Centre, five in the Alentejo and 12 in the Algarve.
Portugal’s 10-year economic recovery plan revealed
More engineers, high-speed rail between Lisbon and Porto and efforts to become a mid-level political player beyond Europe are the steps recommended for Portuguese economic recovery over the next 10 years, Lusa reports. António Costa e Silva, the man charged with designing the plan, has handed it over to Prime Minister António Costa, who says it will now go up for public discussion. Mr Costa e Silva argues Portugal should be training more engineers, not just in software and electronics, but mechanical, civil, chemical, mining and aerospace as well. According to a draft of the document, the engineer, university professor and manager wants Lisbon and Porto’s metros expanded, high-speed rail between the two cities and the capital’s new airport to be built. He also wants to transform Portugal into a mid-level political power, able to exercise so-called “soft power” in the Atlantic, not just in Europe. That could mean anything from helping to minimise the desertification of northern Africa through to conserving trading routes and preventing pirate attacks in the southern Atlantic.
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.
WHO says coronavirus particles floating indoors may be infecting people
I know I mentioned this briefly on Wednesday but I think it’s worth revisiting in more depth as the World Health Organisation has finally conceded the coronavirus may float in the air indoors, The New York Times reports, in English. The WHO had been slow to acknowledge this form of transmission as a major concern but that changed this week after 239 experts wrote an open letter (NYT, in English) to the agency, insisting there was evidence small respiratory droplets could hang in the air and infect people. The WHO continues to stress the danger of transmission through larger droplets caused by coughing and sneezing but now admits airborne transmission may have been responsible for outbreaks in restaurants, churches, workplaces and other places people might have been laughing, talking or singing. The agency also explicitly warned infected people could transmit the disease, with or without symptoms. Both these points combined means you should “avoid crowded places, close-contact settings, and confined and enclosed spaces with poor ventilation.” Basically these updates emphasise the need to wear masks indoors (and spend as little time there as possible) and keep two metres away from others, even while outside.
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In brief
Social transmission explains half of infections in the Algarve. (Público)
António Costa and the Portuguese (non) miracle. Portuguese PM António Costa’s approval ratings rocketed as high as 75%. This next stage could be a bit more difficult
Mother accused of female genital mutilation. It’s the first such case in Portugal (Público)
Wearing a mask on the street becomes mandatory in the Spanish region of Extremadura. (Diário de Notícias)
Bullfights can continue to rely on public funding. (Diário de Notícias)
House prices in Lisbon have increased by more than 55% in the last three years. (Diário de Notícias)
On a lighter note
Lisbon’s famous (or infamous) Pink Street may be but a shadow of its former self thanks to the pandemic, but at least it now has some colourful company, Público reports. Nearby Rua dos Bacalhoeiros has been painted blue (somewhat controversially) and three historic streets in Cascais have been turned yellow. There are more planned throughout Lisbon, in Belém, Chiado and Sapadores. In total, the Rua é Sua (Road is Yours) program is turning about 100 streets pedestrian-only, although some of the changes won’t be permanent and only a handful are being painted.
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