Month: May 2020

“It is essential to protect ourselves and others. It is essential that everyone wear masks and we must all be responsible to ourselves and others, “said the Minister of Infrastructure and Housing, Pedro Nuno Santos, referring to the use of this protective equipment, which becomes mandatory in public transport.

During a visit to the Infrastructure Security Center of Portugal, in Lisbon, the Minister referred that in some trains in the metropolitan areas of Porto and Lisbon, the control of the capacity “is very difficult”, because “the infrastructure capacity at peak hours is full”.

“There is a dimension of individual responsibility that we want people to incorporate and realize that it is up to you, too, to ensure that the train is not overcrowded, that they do not enter a train that is already very full and that they always wear the mask, not only inside the train , but also inside the station”, he said.

On the first day of the plan defined by the Government for the progressive reopening of services and commerce, Pedro Nuno Santos said that “the entire offer was restored to 100%” and “signalling at all stations” was placed. The Minister also said that the trains “still have a good capacity, which allows distance, and the overwhelming majority of people are wearing a mask”.

Pedro Nuno Santos also said that security forces are at various stations to alert and recommend the use of a mask, adding that “in the coming days the pressure on public transport, and trains in particular, may increase and the security forces will enforce the law”.

The Minister also acknowledged that there are difficulties in reinforcing the offer of trains on some lines, as is the case with the Sintra and Cascais lines, so he appealed to the responsibility of each user to avoid getting on already full trains, thus helping to fulfill the maximum capacity. two-thirds defined by the authorities.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The rector of the Fátima Sanctuary, Carlos Cabecinhas, today asked pilgrims not to visit the enclosure on the 12th and 13th and to make the pilgrimage “by heart”, due to the pandemic of Covid-19.

In a message addressed to pilgrims regarding the International Anniversary Pilgrimage of May, Carlos Cabecinhas mentions that, for the first time in its history, the Shrine of Fátima will celebrate this date without pilgrims in its spaces.

“This is a painful moment: the sanctuary exists to welcome pilgrims and we are unable to do so is a reason for great sadness; but this decision is also an act of responsibility towards the pilgrims, defending their health and well-being”, he considers.

To those who intended to visit the sanctuary this year, the priest asks that he make this pilgrimage “by heart” and follow the transmission of the celebrations through the media, the internet and social networks.

The celebrations will take place in the enclosure, but this will be closed due to the sanitary rules defined by the Government in the context of the declaration of the State of public calamity, in articulation with the Portuguese Episcopal Conference, and which prevent religious celebrations with the presence of the faithful.

In view of this impossibility of traveling to Cova da Iria, the rector challenges pilgrims to make a spiritual path, presenting them with a concrete proposal for prayer for each day.

“We cannot count on your physical presence, but we would like to be able to count on you. Because it is not only a pilgrimage with the feet, but also with the heart, we propose you to make a pilgrimage through the heart”, he underlines.

The proposal goes through a “pilgrimage in stages”, between today and the 13th, in which “the path is not physical, but interior”, with pilgrims being challenged to light, every day, in the windows of their houses, a candle, what is considered “one of the most iconic acts of Fatima”.

“May each day have a moment of reflection and prayer, according to the proposals that we will make available; and that, each night, light a candle at the window, until the candle procession of the 12th. , a beautiful procession of candles, spread throughout all the places where you live and meet ”, he appeals.

Between the afternoon of the 12th and the end of the morning of the 13th, pilgrims will not be allowed access to any area of ​​the sanctuary.

“Making this painful decision now means trying to create conditions so that we can resume pilgrimages to this place as soon as possible”, stresses Carlos Cabecinhas.

The rector takes the opportunity to greet the various groups of pilgrims who had to cancel the pilgrimage to Fatima this May, which are about three and a half hundred, from all over the world.

Celebrations with the physical presence of pilgrims in Cova da Iria and in all Portuguese churches will not resume until the 30th.

Until then, the sanctuary will resume its activity, reopening, as of today, the places of worship, for visit and prayer, but without community celebrations and without the physical presence of pilgrims.

The rectory building will also resume its activity, as will the commercial units. The museum spaces are open to the public from the 19th.

In order to make the sanctuary spaces accessible, the institution adopted measures for both employees and pilgrims, such as wearing a mask in closed spaces, frequent hand washing, maintaining physical distance and monitoring access to spaces. closed (basilicas, chapels and commercial spaces).

 

 

 

 

 

The Prime Minister announced that the Government will support micro-enterprises, particularly in the commercial and catering sectors, with 80% non-repayable funds for expenses with compliance with safety and hygiene standards.

António Costa referred to this program at the end of his intervention at the National Palace of Ajuda, after the Confederation of Commerce and Services and the Directorate-General for Health (DGS) signed a cooperation protocol for good practices in combating the spread of Covid-19.

“We’re taking a new step in creating a program specifically aimed at micro-enterprises and, in particular, those in the commercial and catering sectors, with a view to supporting 80% non-refundable expenses between 500 and 5,000 euros that are incurred with the acquisition of individual protection material for workers and cleaning of workplaces “, declared the leader of the executive.

At this point, the Prime Minister referred that the program, with respect to state contributions, “will also extend to a set of other investments that companies will be called upon to make under the protocol with the Directorate-General for Health.”.

“We know that compliance with safety standards will represent increased costs. Therefore, in order to keep companies alive and jobs, and to preserve income as much as possible, the Government has been adopting a set of measures that aim to ensure liquidity to companies”, he defended.

As he had stated in the interview with RTP, on Thursday night, António Costa reiterated that the Government will pay until the 15th of this month all the lay-off requirements that entered until April 30th.

“Throughout this period, companies have already been able to benefit from payment moratoriums, whether from Social Security contributions or tax contributions. Others have had moratoriums in terms of leasing,” he said.

According to the prime minister, “there are more than 12 thousand companies in the trade and services sector that have requested support for credit lines, more than four thousand have already seen these operations validated by the Portuguese Mutual Guarantee Society and, as such, are in conditions to be hired by the respective banks”.

 

Clinics and dental offices will resume their activity, although conditioned, on Monday, with appointments to be previously scheduled by phone or email and users to wear a mask before being served by the doctor.

The information was provided to Lusa by the president of the Portuguese Dental Association, Orlando Monteiro da Silva, on the day that the Directorate-General for Health (DGS) published an orientation on dental medicine during the covid-19 pandemic, which covers clinics, offices or oral health services.

The DGS guidance is effective as of Sunday, the day when Portugal enters the state of calamity, which translates into the phased application of measures of deflation.

Since March 15, clinics and dental offices have been closed, with medical care being provided only in urgent and urgent cases.

In practice, as of Monday, according to the president of the Portuguese Dental Association, clinics and offices will be able to resume their activity, albeit with restrictions.

Consultations will now have to be booked in advance by phone or email, with the user answering a questionnaire to assess the risk of contagion by covid-19: if you have symptoms, if you have been ill or if you have been in contact with patients .

In case of symptoms or illness, the user is advised to postpone the consultation.

If the care you need is urgent and urgent, the appointment is rescheduled for late morning or afternoon, at specific times, so that the user does not cross with others.

In other situations, in which the user has no symptoms or infection, the appointment is scheduled for a due date.

Users have to wear a surgical mask, only removing it when they were being consulted and receiving medical care, explained the president Orlando Monteiro da Silva, adding that the waiting rooms will have limited capacity, to guarantee the necessary distance, and will no longer have magazines, leaflets or water dispensers to avoid their handling and, thus, the risk of infection by the virus.

The air must be renewed frequently, preferably with open doors and windows.

At the entrance to the offices and clinics there will be hand sanitizing gel.

In the doctor’s office, only companions are allowed to enter in special situations, such as when the user is a minor. In this case, the companion must be seated two meters away from the dental equipment and with a surgical mask.

Given the “close proximity” to users, dentists and other oral health professionals are exposed “to respiratory droplets and aerosols that can be created during clinical procedures, making the consultation office a potential source of virus transmission”, refers to the guidance of the DGS, pointing out that “additional measures must be taken to ensure that the transmission of this virus is minimized”.

“Nobody knows when this second wave will emerge”, underlined Paulo Morgado, guaranteeing that none of the services dedicated to combating covid-19 will be deactivated”.

The President of the Regional Health Administration (ARS) of the Algarve today warned of the possibility of a second wave of covid-19 coinciding with the flu period, stressing that the authorities are already preparing preventive measures.

“The second wave [of the pandemic] may coincide with the next flu is one of our concerns and we are already working to prevent the next winter”, namely, through the vaccination of more people, said Paulo Morgado.  According to that official, who was speaking at the weekly press conference of the District Civil Protection Commission, in Loulé, the authorities are “on the alert” for a possible second wave, which, joining “the flu wave creates a ‘stress’ health services ”.

“Nobody knows, nor does anyone have a way of predicting when this second wave will emerge”, he stressed, guaranteeing that none of the services in operation and in preparation in the Algarve dedicated to combating covid-19 will be deactivated.   However, the results achieved so far in the region give the president of the ARS confidence that health services will be able to respond to a second wave, “also because society is also much more prepared”.

Asked about the reinforcement of health professionals scheduled for the summer, Paulo Morgado said that health authorities intend to use “all legal mechanisms” at their disposal so that there is a reinforcement, assuming that the number of health professionals in the region is “Deficit”.

“The final model is still lacking in terms of response for the summer, but mobility is not excluded. We will try to create this extra mechanism in addition to direct contracting ”, he stressed, noting that“ the number of tourists is expected to be much lower than last year ”.

At the time, the regional delegate of Health of the Algarve stated that the situation in the region is, at this moment, “much calmer”, without community transmission, although there are still 162 infected people recovering at home.

With regard to rural communities of migrants, where some outbreaks of the disease have emerged, the situation is “very positive”, with most of the infected people already recovered, said Ana Cristina Guerreiro.

The president of the District Civil Protection Commission, António Pina, reinforced the idea that the mayors of the region want to “intensify the inspection actions” and will ask the security forces to be “even more active” during the deconfinition phase. “The municipalities will have all their capacity to inspect public spaces, sports and restaurants”, concluded the president of the Algarve Intermunicipal Community (AMAL).  Source – Lusa.