Month: May 2020

Community Religious Services return today  after a break of more than two months caused by the covid-19, with exceptional rules, with the Directorate-General for Health (DGS) alerted to the “increased risk” propagation of the new coronavirus.

In the document defining the prevention and control measures to be adopted in places of worship by religious institutions and citizens, DGS reinforced that “in places of worship and religious there is a risk of direct and indirect transmission of SARS-CoV-2 [the new coronavirus, which causes covid-19 disease] “, which require maximum care.

On the side of religious confessions, the resumption of face-to-face celebrations is being viewed with a mixture of joy and caution, according to the heads of several entities contacted by Lusa, namely, the spokespersons for the Catholic Church, the Islamic Community of Lisbon, the Israeli Community and the Portuguese Evangelical Alliance.

In common, the desire to re-share the spaces of worship with the faithful, and the notion of responsibility to comply with the new rules agreed with the DGS in order to maximize the safety of participants in religious rituals.

In addition to the general rules, such as the two-meter spacing between participants and the use of protective materials, common to all religious celebrations, each confession has yet to adapt its specific rituals to the new rules.

Outside, there are also specific items in terms of religious ceremonies, such as the return on Sunday, at noon, of the traditional prayer of the Angelus, given by Pope Francis from the window of the Apostolic Palace in Rome, before the faithful, authorized to meet again in St. Peter’s Square.

Before, on Saturday, Francis will pray in the Vatican gardens for all those affected by the pandemic, in an initiative that the Sanctuary of Fátima will join.

Globally, according to a report by the AFP news agency, the covid-19 pandemic has already claimed more than 362,000 deaths and infected more than 5.8 million people in 196 countries and territories.

In Portugal, 1,383 people died from 31,946 confirmed to be infected, and there are 18,911 recovered cases, according to the Directorate-General for Health.

The Prime spoke at 1750 hrs after the meeting of the Council of Ministers to extend the third phase of de-confinement. The announcement including questions lasted 55 minutes and was very detailed.

The Council of Ministers approved today the resolution that extends the declaration of state of calamity until 23h59 on June 14, continuing the process of de-confinement without calling into question the evolution of the epidemiological situation in Portugal.

The Council of Ministers approved today the resolution extending António Costa’s statement that it will announce regional rather than national de-confinement, as has been done so far.

As usual, the Prime Minister summarised the national epidemiological situation to explain the decisions taken by ministers. “We have confirmed that the growth of the pandemic is stabilised,” he said.

One of the conditions to proceed with de-confinement measures is the capacity of the National Health Service to test patients, which, according to António Costa, continues to increase. “The conditions are in place to move towards the de-confinement measures planned for the end of May”, the Prime Minister declared.

After taking a few minutes to look at the latest figures on the evolution of the pandemic, António Costa set out to present measures relating to the new phase of de-confinement.

About teleworking, António Costa revealed that it is no longer compulsory as of Tuesday, June 2, and now depends on agreement between the employee and the employer. There will be exceptions:

• If the employee is immunosuppressed or chronically ill;
• People who are disabled over 60%;
• Parents accompanying children under 12 at home or with a relevant degree of disability.
• If the DGS considers that the company does not have sufficient security conditions.

“Citizens’ shops will also be opened,” the prime minister said, adding that it will be by appointment and mandatory mask use. There will also be shops and restaurants opening in shopping centres, the rule of a maximum capacity of 50% in restaurants will disappear, and shops with more than 400 m2 will open.

Gyms will be able to reopen from June 1, “in accordance with the rules defined by the Directorate-General of Health” and with the necessary distance and hygiene measures, including disinfection rules and the use of protective equipment by employees.

Cinemas, theatres and concert halls may reopen provided they comply with the rules of the Directorate General of Health.

Religious celebrations will return this weekend. António Costa thanks in particular the Catholic Church and the Islamic community for the celebrations of 13 May and Ramadan.

“Bars and nightclubs remain closed for the next 15 days.”

ATLs not integrated in schools should only open from 15 June. Family support and leisure activities are not open until the end of the school year.

António Costa explains that the decision to postpone opening is due to the need to give establishments time to prepare themselves with the necessary safety and hygiene measures.

António Costa explains that the government support being given to parents who are at home with children under 12 years of age is tied to the operation of daycares and school establishments. In other words:

• In the case of daycares, the support ends next Monday (date on which the pre-school reopens generally);
• In the case of primary school pupils, the support ends at the end of the school year, on 26 June.

Lisbon metropolitan area will have “tighter” measures

António Costa confirms that this entire phase of de-confinement in Lisbon will be the same as in the rest of the country except for three rules: only 10 people will be allowed to gather (not 20, as in the rest of the country); shopping centres and citizen shops will remain closed; and the opening of fairs and shops of more than 400 m2 will be reviewed,” said the Prime Minister.

To respond to the “exceptional” situation in the Lisbon metropolitan area, epidemiological monitoring will be reinforced:

• In civil and construction works
• In activities carried out by temporary workers, such as the outbreak detected in Azambuja

As acknowledged at Thursday’s meeting, António Costa announced that the government will temporarily relocate some of the people infected with covid-19 in order to control the outbreak’s contagion. This emergency re-housing plan will seek to separate infected and non-infected people.

Private passenger transport vehicles in the Lisbon metropolitan area will now have a maximum capacity of 2/3 of passengers and wearing a mask will be mandatory.

Shopping malls and citizen shops in the Lisbon region will remain closed until June 4. The reopening of shopping centres in the Lisbon metropolitan area will be reassessed at the Council of Ministers next Thursday (which does not mean they will open next week). “We’re going to make a very big effort so that it can have results, by strengthening the tests”, explained António Costa, after acknowledging the economic impact the measure will have on tenants.

“All the other activities will be able to maintain the activity and resume in the foreseen calendar”, said the Prime Minister.

On clusters of cases, de-confinement measures and travel/tourism

“We shouldn’t place the problem in this or that neighbourhood, in this or that area. That is not the nature of the problem. The nature of the problem is identified and is related to the type of work, which is aggravated by conditions of habitability in which a large number of people share residence”, the Prime Minister stresses, justifying the emergency plan of re-housing. “It has little to do with the places of origin, but with the conditions of habitability”, António Costa stresses.

The Prime Minister also rejects the idea that the outbreaks in the Lisbon region are related to the de-confinement measures, especially as the activities involved were never halted during the period of state of emergency.

The strategy for the coming week will involve vigilance work with the temporary employment companies that hire these workers who, because they are temporary, tend to move more between their activities.

As for the fact that tourists can enter Portugal without quarantine, the Prime Minister stresses that “in mainland Portugal, no quarantine rule has been in force, nor is it intended to be in force”. “We have agreed with Spain on the management of the land border and we are calm and in no hurry to reopen that border. We respect the wishes of our neighbours. At the appropriate time it will be right to open this border,” he adds.

Drugs and cash Seized

The Police Division of Ponta Delgada, alongside the Criminal Investigation Squad, detained a man suspected of drug trafficking in the São José parish after having been apprehended with about half a kilo of heroin.

According to a statement from the PSP Regional Command of the Azores, following several investigations, a police operation was carried out that made it possible to detect and seize, a substantial amount of heroin, which would allow the preparation of approximately 5,500 individual doses for consumption that was found in his possession.

Following the police intervention, which led to the arrest of the suspect at the time he was preparing to continue the criminal activity, and other articles and objects, potentially related to the criminal activity, were also apprehended, including one motor vehicle and approximately €28 000 in cash.

After the initial interrogation, the defendant was ordered to be placed in custody.

Do not be an easy Catch campaign

Campanha #NãoSejasUmaVítimaFácil

The Judiciary Police joined the INTERNATIONAL DAY OF MISSING CHILDREN, May 25, published the video “# NãoSejasUmaVítimaFácil”(do not be an easy catch), produced by the Police Expert Network on Missing Persons (PEN-MP) in close collaboration with AMBER Alert Europe, within the scope of the awareness campaign for the subject of online grooming (enticement of children and young people through the internet).

This campaign is launched this week in 23 countries and translated into 19 different languages.

Watch the following video:

https://www.amberalert.eu/dontbeaneasycatch/

Two arrested for extortion in Albufeira – GNR

 The Faro Territorial Command of the National Republican Guard (GNR), through the Criminal Investigation Center (NIC) of Loulé, on May 20, detained two men, aged 33 and 39, on suspicion of extortion, in Albufeira.

In the course of an investigation, which has been going on for 15 days, after a complaint related to an extortion crime, in which the two suspects tried to extort the amount of 10,000 euros from a citizen, through threats and physical attacks, two home searches and four vehicle searches were conducted resulting in the seizure of 16 doses of marijuana, €10,961 in cash, 8 mobile phones, 5 computer devices and various pyrotechnic devices.

The detainees, brothers and both with previous criminal records for committing other crimes, are to stand before the Faro Judicial Court.

The investigation included the reinforcement of officers from the Special Operations Intervention Group (GIOE), the Detachment of Intervention (DI) of Faro, the Sub-Detachment of Albufeira and the Criminal Investigation Center (NIC) of Albufeira, in a total of 32 operatives.

Destroyed cars and motorcycles of a neighbour

A 22-year-old has been identified by the Public Security Police after causing damage to vehicles, as well as allegedly assaulting a woman.

Police source confirmed that the PSP at around 5am had to intervene quickly in Bairro das Romeiras, in Santo António, to put an end to an aggressive behaviour, disturbances and damage towards the third parties, all carried out by the same individual.

It was reported that during the late afternoon and early evening, the PSP had been called to a bar, also in Santo António, where this same individual and some friends were causing a disturbance.

According to the same source, in the early hours of the morning, after a night of drinking and drug consumption, the young man again provoked violence, but this time on a more serious level.

Were it not for the prompt intervention of the PSP, who were at the scene with several vehicles and agents, the case could be much more serious, since the owners and family members of the battered woman were preparing to take justice into their own hands.

The situation was witnessed by several dozen neighbours and other residents, and took place over a period of time. The young man has was arrested by the PSP

 And a nice little story…….

GNR retrieves Barn Owl in Marco de Canaveses

GNR of Marco de Canaveses recovered on Tuesday, May 26, a barn owl in Marco territory.

Following a report from a passer-by that the animal, of the Tyto Furcata species, was at a gate at a residence unable to fly, the officer went to the scene and collected the bird.

The owl did not have any type of injury, so it was immediately restored to its natural habitat

In a statement, GNR gave a brief description of that species:

‘The American barn owl is a nocturnal bird of prey that is present in Portugal throughout the year. It frequently appears in the vicinity of buildings, choosing those that have openings or cavities, which can be used as a resting and nesting place. So he chooses old granaries, dilapidated buildings, steeples and even old train stations and frequents agricultural land to feed himself’.

Trial of 12 people on weapons theft charges

The start of the trial of 12 people accused of being involved in the theft of 55 Glock weapons from the gunsmith of the PSP national directorate is scheduled for June 18, in the Lisbon judicial court.

According to the Citius portal, two sessions of the trial are already scheduled for the Campus of Justice, the second of which will take place on June 19th.

The Public Prosecutor’s Office charged 12 people with the theft of PSP weapons, during the period between December 2015 and January 2017.

In the prosecution, the MP considers that PSP agent Luis Gaiba took advantage of a system that was defective in regard to supervision and control, of which he was responsible for, to steal the weapons, estimated at around 20 thousand euros, and sell them onto arms and drug trafficking syndicates.

Luís Gaiba is accused of criminal association, arms trafficking and mediation, money laundering, possession of a prohibited weapon and embezzlement. The prosecution indicates, he initiated contacts with a group of people who could put the weapons in the illegal firearms sales circuit.

Luis Gaiba, together with his wife, António Laranginha and João Paulino, were also accused in the process of theft of military weapons, two storerooms from Tancos, formed a group, which also belonged to Mário Cardoso, Armando Barros and Manuel Neves.

The group, still according to the prosecution, sold the weapons to a group of people who were accused of drug trafficking in Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom.

This case dates to January 2017, when the disappearance of Glock weapons and their cases, two porters and cleaning kits were detected, after the seizure of a police firearm during a police operation that took place in Porto.

At the time, the Ministry of Internal Affairs requested an audit by the General Inspection of Administration to harmonize the security control mechanisms for the storage of arms and ammunition by security forces.

CC // SB

An order that determines the times to cross the border between Portugal and Spain, in the towns of Rio de Onor (Bragança), Tourém (Vila Real) and Barrancos (Beja), following the pandemic, was published today in Diário da República (DR).

The joint order of the ministers of Foreign Affairs and Internal Administration states that the decision stems from a resolution of the Council of Ministers, of 16 March, on restoring, “exceptionally and temporarily”, the control of “people at the borders” between Portugal and Spain, in the context of the pandemic situation of the disease caused by the new coronavirus.

The diploma determines that on Wednesdays and Saturdays, between 10:00 and 12:00, “Rio de Onor, border bridge of Rua da Costa, rural route, is an authorized crossing point on the land border”.

In relation to Tourém and Barrancos, the authorized crossing point across the land border between the two countries is on Mondays and Thursdays, between 06:00 and 08:00 and from 17:00 to 19:00.

The order takes effect on June 1.

The diploma explains that “the localities of Rio de Onor (Portugal) / Rihonor de Castilla (Spain), Tourém (Portugal) / Calvos de Randim (Spain) and Barrancos (Portugal) / Encinasola (Spain) are decentralized, with residents in Portuguese towns and residents in Spain who move between the two countries frequently ”.

For this reason, the “total cut of access roads does not seem to be the most appropriate modality”, under penalty of “causing constraints to the essential activities of the local population”.

Globally, according to the latest assessment by the agency France-Presse, the pandemic has already caused more than 355 thousand deaths and infected more than 5.7 million people in 196 countries and territories.

Experts, politicians and social partners meet today, for the seventh time, at Infarmed,  in Portugal, on the eve of the Council of Ministers deciding on the third phase of deflation.

The presentation session on the “epidemiological situation of covid-19 in Portugal” is an initiative of the Prime Minister, António Costa, to which is joined by the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, the President of the Assembly of the Republic, Eduardo Ferro Rodrigues, as well as leaders of political parties with parliamentary seats, employers’ confederations and union structures, as well as State councilors – the latter by videoconference – to hear the experts.

This is the seventh meeting of this kind, in which the data related to the first two phases of deflation will be presented and analyzed, the day before the Council of Ministers meets to decide on the third phase of reopening, scheduled for June 1.

At the end of the sixth meeting, on May 14, the President of the Republic stated that Portugal has registered a “very contained deflation”, which does not yet allow “firm conclusions” about the gradual reopening of activities and establishments closed due to the covid-19.

“The deflation in Portugal, which started on May 3, was a very restrained deflation. The Portuguese were sensitive to what they were asked to open in small steps, so the vast majority continued to be very restrained. which means that we don’t have a lot of data that allows us to draw firm conclusions “, then Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa declared to journalists.

The head of state then considered it essential to continue the tune “between those who have to decide and the Portuguese”, whose behavior will determine the balance between opening and controlling the pandemic.

The following day, at the end of the Council of Ministers during which the reopening measures of the second phase of deflation (which started on the 18th) were approved, the Prime Minister stated that the results of the first deflation measures, taken 15 days rather, they were positive in combating the spread of covid-19, with no reason to postpone a new step in the reopening of activities.

According to the Prime Minister, in view of the data previously known about the evolution of the pandemic in Portugal, the Government concluded that the first measures of deflation that came into effect in early May did not change “the tendency to control” the spread of the new coronavirus .

According to information from the Presidency of the Republic’s agenda, the technical presentations for today’s session will be made by epidemiologists from the Directorate-General for Health (DGS), from the National Health Institute Doctor Ricardo Jorge (INSA), from the Public Health Institute of University of Porto (ISPUP) and the National School of Public Health (ENSP).

In a statement, this afternoon, the Prime Minister’s office said that festivals and shows of a similar nature are allowed in indoor or outdoor venues as long as they ensure marked places and respect the rules defined by the Directorate-General for Health.

“(…) may exceptionally take place, either indoors or outdoors, with a designated place, after communication under the terms of the previous number and in compliance with the capacity specifically defined by the Directorate-General for Health according to the rules of physical distance that are adequate in view of the evolution of the COVID-19 disease pandemic “, reads in the decree of law that establishes measures to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic in the cultural and artistic sphere.

In a statement sent to the newsrooms, António Costa’s office also mentions that full payment is guaranteed to the artists in case of cancellation or rescheduling of shows due to Covid-19. This payment covers only artists hired by public entities, namely, municipalities.

On May 7, a statement from the Council of Ministers clearly imposed a ban on the holding of music festivals until September 30.

António Costa’s office tells SIC that the prime minister wanted, with this communiqué, “to underline the importance of the topic”.

The law of the Assembly of the Republic was approved this Wednesday, the document also advances

The Directorate-General for Consumers (DGC) and Advertising Self-Regulation (ARP) today released a guide on advertising communication in the context of covid-19 and recommend consumers “special attention” to misleading advertising disinfectants and masks.

In the guide, consumers are recommended to “pay special attention to advertising messages for cleaning products, hand sanitizers or protective masks, which may be false or misleading, as they claim characteristics or results that the products do not have”.

The DGC and the ARP also appeal not to believe in “content published or shared on websites and social networks that promote products or services that claim to have a cure for covid-19” and remember that “the dissemination of these contents it is a deceptive practice ”.

According to a statement released by the entities, the guide aims to inform and sensitize economic operators to the adoption of good commercial practices, which are compatible with the rights of consumers.

“DGC and ARP joined forces to remind all professionals in the sector the need for advertising to respect the legal and ethical rules in force, equally applicable in the digital environment, where social networks are included, conveying clear, true, understandable information and legible, to enable consumers to make informed choices ”, reads the note sent to the press.

The part aimed at consumers also includes some precautions to be taken when purchasing products or services and recalls the importance of confirming the veracity of campaigns to raise goods and financial donations, before making any contribution.

“With covid-19, we are faced with new challenges in multiple domains, advertising being no exception. In this sense, it is important to remember the rules and principles to which this modality of communication must obey, also emphasizing relevant aspects to which consumers must be particularly attentive ”, says, in a statement, the Secretary of State for Commerce, Services and Consumer Protection, João Torres.

The government official also states that “consumers cannot be diminished in their ability to choose and in their rights” and that companies “have a duty to maintain their communications in a transparent and loyal manner, ensuring and reinforcing the trust built with consumers. ”.

Portugal entered on May 3 in a calamity situation due to the pandemic, after three consecutive periods in a state of emergency since March 19.

This new phase of combating covid-19 provides for mandatory confinement for sick people and under active surveillance, the general duty of home collection and the mandatory use of masks or visors in public transport, public attendance services, schools and commercial establishments.

SEF will have simpler procedures for applications for the granting and renewal of residence permits, allowing “substantially” to reduce service times at the counters for around 250,000 foreign citizens, according to an order today published.

In a statement, the Foreigners and Borders Service states that the order envisages “mitigating the consequences that resulted from the health emergency situation, adopting exceptional and temporary measures that allow for a recovery of pending issues and an efficiency gain in the document management of foreign citizens”.

SEF states that, in the context of pending requests for renewal of residence permits, the citizen does not need to go to a service desk, simply by making the request on the SEF Portal.

Subsequently, SEF will carry out all security consultations to confirm the suitability of the applicant, as well as consultations with the databases necessary to assess the fulfillment, by the applicant, of its tax obligations and before Social Security, explains the SEF, adding that , after paying the fees, the citizen will receive the residence permit at his / her tax address.

In relation to requests for the granting of a residence permit with a visa waiver, citizens do not need to submit new documentary evidence, for the purpose, documents submitted together with the visa waiver request (expression of interest), regardless of expiration date, provided they are valid on the date of presentation, according to SEF.

With this measure, SEF foresees “a substantial reduction in the service times at the counter, which should increase from 40 to 15 minutes”.

However, according to a decree-law published this May, the approximately 130,000 immigrants who were provisionally settled in Portugal due to the covid-19 pandemic will continue in this situation until October 31.

The 130,000 foreign nationals who remained in good standing were those who had pending cases at SEF until March 18, when it was decided to declare a state of emergency due to the covid-19 pandemic.

With this temporary regularization, immigrants were granted access to health care, Social Security support or various rights, such as entering into a lease or employment contract.

The order published today by the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Internal Administration, Modernization of the State and Public Administration and Labor, Solidarity and Security also states that the securities to be issued following decisions on requests that fall within the scope of the within the scope of this order and that they relate to minors.

The start of the trial of 12 people accused of being involved in the theft of 55 Glock weapons from the gunsmith of the PSP national directorate is scheduled for June 18, in the Lisbon judicial court.

According to the Citius portal, two sessions of the trial are already scheduled for the Campus of Justice, the second of which will take place on June 19th.

In this process, the Public Prosecutor’s Office charged 12 people with the theft of PSP weapons, whose crimes were committed between December 2015 and January 2017.

In the prosecution, the MP considers that PSP agent Luis Gaiba took advantage of the poor control of the gunsmith, of which he was responsible, to steal the weapons, estimated at around 20 thousand euros.

Luís Gaiba is accused of criminal association, arms trafficking and mediation, money laundering, possession of a prohibited weapon and embezzlement.

According to the MP, Luís Gaiba realized that the control of weapons was weakened, that his registration was not updated and that, due to the dispersion of the access keys to the facilities, there was no registration of access to the site.

The defects in supervision and control were used by the defendant to steal weapons and sell them in parallel circuits of arms and drug trafficking.

However, the agent, in an attempt that the suspicions of the disappearance of the weapons did not fall on him, denounced the weaknesses of the gunsmith to the PSP national leadership and accessed the database to find out which firearms were not distributed to other policemen .

Subsequently, the prosecution indicates, it initiated contacts with a group of people who could put the weapons in the illicit arms sales circuit.

Luis Gaiba, together with his wife, António Laranginha and João Paulino, these two also accused in the process of theft of military weapons, two storerooms from Tancos, formed a group, which also belonged to Mário Cardoso, Armando Barros and Manuel Neves.

The group, still according to the prosecution, sold the weapons to a group of people who were accused of drug trafficking in Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom and in whose processes it was possible to apprehend some of the pistols.

This case dates back to January 2017, when the disappearance of Glock weapons and their cases, two porters and cleaning kits was detected, after the seizure of a police firearm during a police operation that took place in Porto.

At the time, the Ministry of Internal Affairs requested an audit by the General Inspection of Administration to harmonize the security control mechanisms for the storage of arms and ammunition by security forces.

CC // SB