Situation Report Azores – 17th August 2022 – From our colleague in the Azores
Covid-19
In the seven days from Friday 5th August until Thursday 11th August there were 457 new positive cases of Covid-19 registered in the Azores, and a total of 2,041 tests performed. 447people have recovered, and no new deaths have been recorded with the total still at 117 There are 453 active cases, 10 more than the previous week.
There are 10 patients in the region’s hospitals as of 12th August with Covid, no patients are in hospital because of Covid. There are no patients in the ICU.
118675 people in the region have had Covid, that’s over 49% of the population.
Authorities search for missing diver off Faial
The National Maritime Authority is carrying out searches to try to locate a diver who disappeared off Faial, in the Azores, it was announced this Monday.
In a statement, the National Maritime Authority said that the alert of the disappearance of the 16-year-old of French nationality, was given at 15:30 local time (16:30 in Lisbon) “through a representative of a maritime-tourist activities company. “
According to the Maritime Authority, it was reported that “one of the scuba divers had disappeared while allegedly practicing the activity of Free-diving”, and “elements of the local command of the Maritime Police of Horta and the Station were immediately activated to the location. Lifeguard to carry out searches”.
The young man is “disappeared at sea, about ten nautical miles [approximately 18 kilometres] southwest of the extreme west of the island of Faial, in the Azores”, the statement reads.
In the search operations, coordinated by the Captain of the Port and the local Command of the Maritime Police of Horta, a vessel from the Maritime Police and a vessel from the Lifeguard Station are involved, as well as the maritime-tourist vessel where the diver was following.
The commitment of a Portuguese Air Force aircraft to participate in the searches is also foreseen, the note indicates.
Body of man found on the coast of Povoação
On the morning of this Thursday, the body of a man was found on the coast, about 700 meters east of the coast of Povoação, on the island of São Miguel, the causes that may have been at the origin of this unknown. occurrence, indicates a statement from the National Maritime Authority.
Above-normal tropical cyclone season forecast
In the Atlantic basin, between 14 and 20 tropical cyclones are forecast by the end of November, of which six to 10 could become hurricanes. Higher water temperature could expose the Azores to storms, but only when cyclones form will it be possible to make predictions.
Preventive arrest for detainee at Ponta Delgada airport with 27,000 doses of drugs
A man was held in pre-trial detention after being arrested on Wednesday at the airport in Ponta Delgada on suspicion of drug trafficking, in an operation that resulted in the seizure of more than 27,000 doses.
Hikers are strongly advised to have prior knowledge of the route, to take the right equipment (flashlights, the right clothing and footwear), to consider if they are afraid of heights and are not used to long walks, and to be aware that the hike could take a long time and be challenging.
We therefore need to anticipate, plan ahead, be prepared and take initiatives to help address the threat. As a result on 6th August 2022 the association launched a Facebook group: “Safe Communities Northern Portugal Situation Alerts”.
“The Covid-19 crisis has had far-reaching impacts on the economy, with air transport in particular being hit hard by a decline in passenger numbers, [whereby] airlines and associated companies have reduced the number of their employees in compliance, with younger workers particularly affected”, notes Eurostat.
Servicemen from the Madeira Military Zone (Zona Militar da Madeira) returned to the Region on August 7th after a month-long deployment in July to the Algarve region. The 20 servicemen were deployed as part of the Army’s Emergency Military Support Plan (Plano de Apoio Militar de Emergência do Exército). They carried out forest fire patrols in order to protect the forests, and prevent and detect forest fires. More than 6,700 km were covered in the municipalities of Tavira, Monchique, Loulé and São Brás de Alportel, as part of agreements established between the Army and these municipalities. The Army carries out similar patrols in 12 districts in mainland Portugal.
The Judiciary Police (PJ) intercepted a sailing boat in the Azores area carrying 1150 kilos of cocaine, suspecting that the detained crew members are part of an “international criminal organization”. The vessel in question was taken to the port of Ponta Delgada where it was searched, eventually detecting, in its structure, several hidden compartments, inside which a total of 1047 packages of cocaine were found, with an approximate total weight of 1150 kilos.
“The Algarve surpassed, in July, the numbers of 2019, the best tourist year ever. Thus, the sector continues to recover, after two terrible years, due to the pandemic”, highlighted the Association of Hotels and Tourist Enterprises of the Algarve (AHETA).
This project aims to “raise awareness of the importance of reducing environmental impacts, with emphasis on the collection of food scraps, which will be diverted from the landfill and transformed into natural fertiliser”, according to the statement. The operation covers 13,836 accommodation units, equivalent to 19,353 inhabitants (35 percent of the population) and started with restaurants, schools, institutions and the residential population, through the activation of 144 proximity containers.
“In fact, animal abandonment occurs throughout the year, and not just in the summer, but it is during this period that there is a higher incidence. It seemed to us that it was the ideal time to convey the message that abandoning our animals is never the solution and is, moreover, punishable by law”, says the councillor responsible for Animal Welfare, Ricardo Calé.
According to the mayor, “the signs of problematic cases are now centralised in a single entity, in order to improve the perception of the realities in terms of the needs of the elderly population of the municipality”.
The Portuguese Navy announced the Funchal Maritime Rescue Sub-Centre (MRSC) had been involved in 18 search and rescue operations in the Autonomous Region of Madeira, and had managed to save the lives of 12 people since the start of the year.
Under the terms of this resolution, it remains mandatory to carry out a screening test for covid-19 when visiting users in health care establishments and therapeutic communities and social inclusion communities, as well as in temporary and emergency housing centres, residential structures for the elderly and other structures and responses dedicated to the elderly and people with disabilities.
“This operation, like others in which the Judiciary Police has participated, clearly demonstrates that only with recourse to international cooperation is it possible to effectively combat the phenomenon of drug trafficking, which constitutes a serious threat to most countries”, it can read. up in the communiqué.
How many more fires there will be this summer will depend on the number and duration of heatwaves. These occur when the maximum remains five degrees above average for at least six consecutive days. Experts predict in August: temperatures above normal in the interior and slightly below average on the coast. The occurrence of a heat wave as extreme as the one in July seems, at least for now, unlikely, but we must be prepared both in terms of fire preparedness and the effects on health and adopt measures accordingly.
“According to the forecasts of the IVV, resulting from the consultation made with the representative regional entities, wine production in Portugal is expected to fall by around 9% compared to the previous harvest (characterized by an abnormally high production) ,” he said in a statement .
fires for some time last week in the São Marcos da Serra area of Silves municipality. 574 firefighters with 201 vehicles and 6 air assets were eventually able to bring it under control but not before it caused the destruction of at least one second home and a haystack but did not cause any damage to first homes.
The fresh sardines unloaded in this historical recreation will later be used in a popular sardine dish taking place at the festival grounds, between 1:30 pm and 4:30 pm, and for which interested parties must collect the respective tasting voucher at the venue, in order to free use of two sardines grilled on bread and a drink at the indicated establishment.
This was, in fact, one of the key points of the initiative, in which several municipalities and entities were present. The presentation of good practices was one of the main objectives, as well as the debate on topics such as intramodality applied to ticketing and the use of these means of transport; the sustainability of these systems the contribution they make to the sustainability of mobility in cities; maximising the possibilities of maintaining stations with an adequate level of supply and the business model of bicycle-sharing systems.
In a festival that celebrates the best that Portuguese gastronomy has to offer, Algarve cuisine naturally deserves a prominent place, with the presence of chefs Wilson Costa (Amendoeira Clubhouse, Alcantarilha), João Viegas (Atlântico, Vila Vita Parc Resort, Porches), João Marreiros (Loki, Portimão), Alípio Branco (Casa Velha, Quinta do Lago, Almancil), Nuno Martins (Numa, Portimão) and João Dias (À Mesa, Tavira) – in addition to the aforementioned Louis Anjos, who is back at Arrebita Portimão after a successful foray last year.