Saturday classes for returning university students // Azores violated constitution with forced hotel quarantine
Portuguese news in English on August 5, 2020
By the numbers
The last four days have been really positive, with less than 200 new cases a day and only three deaths in total. As a result, the number of active cases is still going down. For some reason, new confirmed cases tend to rise a little bit towards the end of the week but let’s hope we break that trend and stay well below 200. The percentage of cases from the Lisbon and Tejo Valley region is now hovering at roughly 60%, down from closer to 75% or 80% a couple of weeks ago. Público notes the average number of daily cases in the region has dropped significantly, from 284 at the end of June to 125 last week.
A quick note: I’m going to be taking a week off from the newsletter to visit the Azores with my family. This Wednesday, August 5, will be the last newsletter until August 17, after I get back. Keep safe!
Number of hospitality businesses considering insolvency approaching half
Roughly 43% of food and drinks businesses are considering insolvency as the only way forward, Diário de Notícias reports. The shocking figure, revealed in the Portuguese hotel and restaurant association’s (AHRESP) latest monthly inquiry, as the vast majority said they wouldn’t be able to pay normal charges such as staff, rent, energy and suppliers from August. The figure is five percentage points higher than the month before. AHRESP highlighted that three quarters of these businesses suffered losses of 40% or more during July. In the tourism accommodation sector, about 17% were looking at insolvency, as almost half the businesses registered occupation rates as low as 10%. All of which is to say, it’s a good time to support your favourite local restaurants however you can and think about holidaying in Portugal if you’re planning to take holidays at all.
Saturday classes for returning university students
University students may have to go to class on Saturdays as part of a range of measures to create a safe return to in-person learning in the next school year, Público reports. Mandatory mask wearing, better vigilance of common spaces and the promotion of testing and immunological study campaigns are also part of the recommendations. After the pandemic forced the suspension of in-person classes at the end of this school year, the Science, Technology and Higher Education Ministry is trying everything it can to ensure next year can go ahead with students physically present. The department’s other two priorities are adopting “realistic” procedures and stimulating the innovative and modern teaching practices. The recommendations also call for students to use the StayAway Covid contact-tracing app, which is expected to be released this month.
Azores violated constitution with forced hotel quarantine
The Azorean regional government violated the constitution by forcing plane passengers to quarantine in a hotel for two weeks on arrival, Público reports. The Constitutional Court ruled even though the complainant, an Azorean resident who arrived in May, wasn’t in a cell, he had been placed in a similar situation to prison, without even having access to somewhere to exercise. Discounting the fact that a hotel room was nicer than a jail cell, the man’s treatment was not substantially different to the application of a short prison sentence, the court ruled. The Azores changed its travel requirements following the man’s initial complaint made to a lower court. Travellers arriving now need to show a negative COVID-19 test taken up to 72 hours before their flight or undergo a test when they arrive and stay in isolation until they get the results. The government is currently paying for tests in approved laboratories on the mainland (more details here in English) In response, the Azorean government said the decision showed the need for legal change to allow rules to be made to deal with such an unexpected situation, Público reported. You can read more from Reuters in English.
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In brief
Could Spain’s former King have fled to Portugal? (Público) Former Spanish King Juan Carlos said he would leave the country amid mounting scrutiny over his financial dealings. There are reports he could be in Portugal but President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa says he doesn’t know anything about it. (The Guardian in English)
Galicia removes Portugal from list forcing travellers to register on arrival. Denmark, Greece, Czech Republic, Romania, Malta, Hungary, Belgium and the Netherlands already took the same step.
COVID-19 forced 1.1 million Portuguese people to work from home (Público)
Government ‘creating conditions’ for supporters to return to stadiums (Diário de Notícias)
Pandemic increases online purchases, complaints soar more than 200% (Diário de Notícias)
On a lighter note
In Portugal and much of the world, men dominate the world of professional cooking. The Future of Food is Female aims to change that by bringing female chefs together and giving them a stage to showcase their incredible food. That stage (not a literal one) is at the Musa brewery in Marvila every Sunday in August, from 12.30pm to 9pm, Time Out reports. The cuisine on offer ranges from tacos and banh mi through to fried chicken and the whole thing is the brainchild of Rebel Rebel wine bar owner Jenifer Duke.
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