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Madeira Situation Report 30th March 2022

Brief Covid-19 update

As of March 29th, there had been 68 Covid-19 cases in the Region’s educational establishments in the previous 24 hours (46 students, 16 teaching staff and 6 non-teaching staff).

On March 28th, there were 99 patients in hospital (24 non-vaccinated, 37 fully vaccinated, 4 vaccinated with 1 dose, 34 vaccinated with a booster shot), 1 of whom was in intensive care (vaccinated with a booster shot). As for the age of the hospitalised patients who are in the general Covid-19 area, 1 is aged 0-17, 25 are aged 18-65 and 73 are 65 or older. The hospitalised patient in intensive care is aged 18-65.

There were 10 deaths from March 21st to March 28th. There had been a total of 236 deaths.

No stricter Covid-19 restrictions required

Miguel Albuquerque, the President of the Madeira Regional Government, said the increase in the number of Covid-19 cases and hospitalisations is not enough to warrant stricter restrictions such as lockdowns or the mandatory use of face masks outdoors. Nevertheless, he said everyone must keep taking individual precautions. He argued the seriousness of the pathologies is not the same as in the past, the population has a greater level of immunity, most people infected with Covid-19 merely have a cold, and some of the infected are hospitalised as a precaution due to having pre-existing conditions. He stressed that the Covid-19 symptoms and pathologies have been much lighter than before and assured the health authorities have been monitoring the Covid-19 developments.

Region spent €78M on Covid-19 tests

The Autonomous Region of Madeira has spent €27M on 1,8 million pharmacy Covid-19 tests, €1,5M on 95,000 SESARAM (Madeira Health Service) Covid-18 tests, €7,4M on 148,000 Covid-19 tests for passengers arriving in the Region, and €42M on 842,612 hospital PCR tests. Overall, the Region has spent €78M on Covid-1 tests.

Ryanair start operating flights to Madeira

Ryanair started operating flights to/from Madeira on Tuesday.  A total of 42 weekly flights, with a maximum capacity of 8,106 passengers, will be available in each direction from March 29th until October 29th (IATA Summer). There will be 10 routes for 7 countries (Portugal, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy  and the UK).

It will operate 2 daily flights between Lisbon and Madeira (Funchal), and 1 daily flight between Porto and Madeira (Funchal).

It will operate 2 weekly flights between Belgium (Brussels), France (Marseille and Paris), Germany (Nuremberg), Ireland (Dublin), Italy (Milan) and Madeira (Funchal).

It will operate 9 weekly flights between the UK (6 from London & 3 from Manchester) and Madeira.

The flights to/from Lisbon will be operated by a Boeing 737-800, which has a maximum capacity of 189 passengers and is based in Lisbon. The remaining flights will be operated by a Boeing 737 MAX8-200, which have a maximum capacity of 195 places and will be based in Funchal.

Water supply disruption

The Municipality of Funchal announced there will be a water supply disruption TODAY, from 09h00 until 17h00. It will affect the following areas:

– Estrada Comandante Camacho de Freitas

– Caminho do Poço Barral

– Impasse 1 at Caminho do Poço Barral

– Entrada 43 (Entrance 43) to Caminho do Poço Barral

– Azinhaga do Poço Barral

– Entrada 68  (Entrance 68) to Caminho do Poço Barral

– Travessa do Tanque 

– Entrada do Tanque

– Caminho do Pico do Funcho

– Escadas do Pico do Funcho

– Caminho do Esmeraldo

Another disruption will take place tomorrow (March 31st), from 09h00 until 18h00. It will affect the following areas:

– Caminho da Hortelã

– Caminho dos Tanques

– Travessa dos Tanques

– Vereda do Lombo Centeio

Power cut

Empresa de Electricidade da Madeira (Madeira power supplier) announced there will be power cuts due to scheduled work on the electricity supply network. These cannot be postponed and will take place in the following days and places:

MONTE & SÃO ROQUE DO FAIAL

March 30th – 09h30 to 11h30 (TODAY)

– Ribeiro Frio (Pipas)

– Terreiro da Luta

– Casa do Barreiro

– Ribeira das Cales

– Pico Alto

However, power could be restored during the time frame mentioned above. So, for safety purposes, it should be assumed that there will be power at any time during this period of time.

If necessary, customers can contact the free Customer Support Service number (Serviço de Apoio ao Cliente): 800 221 187.

 

Portugal Situation Report Wednesday 30th March 2022

Introduction

Good morning – On the 27th March the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, accepted the proposal for the appointment of Secretaries of State presented by the Prime Minister-designate, António Costa. Included in these were the Secretaries of State under the Minister of Internal Administration José Luís Carneiro, namely:  Secretary of State for Internal Administration – Isabel Oneto and the Secretary of State for Civil Protection – Patrícia Gaspar.

In the case of Patricia Gasper she remains in the post she has held for the last two years and for Isabel Oneto it is a return to the post she previously held until October 2019. Both have considerable experience and Safe Communities Portugal has a long establish direct and productive liaison with them – thus facilitating our work.

The third Secretary of State who remains in post and we have close dealings with, is Rita Marques, but with an increased portfolio as Secretary of State for Tourism, Commerce and Services. We look forward to our continued collaboration with her.

The new Government is sworn in today at 1700 hrs.

Again mainland Portugal is being affected by poor air quality. This situation is due to the intrusion of an air mass from the deserts of North Africa, which transports suspended dust and crosses mainland Portugal, increasing the concentrations of naturally occurring inhalable particles in the air.

The DGS advises the population to avoid prolonged efforts, limit physical activity outdoors and avoid exposure to risk factors, such as tobacco smoke and contact with irritating products. Children, the elderly, patients with chronic respiratory problems and cardiovascular patients should, whenever possible, remain inside buildings and, preferably, with the windows closed. These dusts can have effects on human health, especially on the most vulnerable population, whose care must be redoubled during the occurrence of these situations.

Turning to the war in Ukraine – hopefully a sign of some breakthrough. According to the Turkish Foreign Minister yesterday, the negotiations – which were initially scheduled to continue this Wednesday, ended. Speaking on television, Mevlut Cavusoglu said the meeting (the first presidential meeting in more than two weeks) had made the most progress since the two sides began negotiating. According to the Turkish minister, understandings were reached on some of the issues. The Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers are expected to meet in the future to discuss “tougher issues”.

Following the meeting, Russia’s Deputy Defence Minister Alexander Fomin, was quoted by the Tass news agency, Russian forces will “reduce activity around Kyiv and Chernihiv”. The aim is to “increase mutual trust and create the right conditions for future negotiations and achieve the ultimate goal of signing a peace agreement with Ukraine.”

Following this came news that Russia is beginning to withdraw some forces from around the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, in what the US assesses is a “major” strategy shift. US is already observing movements underway of Russian Battalion Tactical Groups (BTGs) 1/. Whether this is a tactical repositioning eastwards due to the realisation that they cannot “take” Kyiv, or a genuine withdrawal, remains to be seen. Let us hope that this comes to fruition, thus advoiding countess more deaths and the displacement of the population. Despite this a Ukrainian news outlet is reporting “multiple explosions” in Kyiv this morning, a day after Russia pledged to reduce combat operations around the capital

Also of concern to the UNHCR is that people who have fled conflict, especially women and children, are particularly at risk of human trafficking and exploitation.  The longer a conflict lasts, the more vulnerable they can become as they struggle to start a new life. We need to take urgent and determined action to protect people and prevent them from falling victim to traffickers. People escaping conflict are in a very dangerous and precarious situation. They can be more easily deceived by phoney travel arrangements and fake job offers that lead them into exploitative situations. Traffickers are known to use such methods, as well as violence, to trick and coerce their victims.

Portugal is a very welcoming country, and has quickly established official processes to help refugees integrate into the community and are properly protected. The official government channels are here: https://portugalforukraine.gov.pt/and for immigrations matters: https://sefforukraine.sef.pt/

Nevertheless we ask people to be on the lookout for anything that raises suspicion that Ukrainians arriving here are being exploited in any way. This can be anything ranging from underpaid job offers, bogus legalisation or scams involving accommodation. If you become aware of anything then contact the appropriate authorities as soon as possible.

Please have a safe day.

Covid-19

Covid-19. Brussels warns of new crises with 100 million in the EU and refugees without vaccine

The European Commission warned this Tuesday of “possible crises” in winter with new waves of covid-19, at a time when 100 million people in the European Union (EU) are not vaccinated or are partially vaccinated and when Ukrainian refugees arrive.

“More than 72% of the total population of the European Union received the complete primary vaccination and more than half received a booster dose”, but “more than 100 million Europeans are still not vaccinated or are only partially vaccinated”, said today the commissioner European Health, Stella Kyriakides.

Speaking at the EU Council of Health Ministers on the humanitarian and health situation in Ukraine and also dedicated to covid-19, the European responsible for the protection warned that “the pandemic is still in Europe and infections are on the rise again”, so Member States have to “be prepared for possible crises”.

“We have to take into account the experts’ calls for caution. Covid-19 is not over yet and Ukraine and the influx of millions of people [coming to the EU] bring an additional layer of urgency to our work to ensure their protection with vaccination.”

Urging European ministers to prepare for the next autumn and winter, namely by increasing anti-covid-19 vaccination rates, Stella Kyriakides warned that “there is no place for complacency”

 

News

Targeted by Traffickers – Ukrainian Refugees at High Risk of Exploitation

One month into the war in Ukraine, millions of people, mainly women and children, continue to flee their homes. As long as the conflict continues, the risk of them being targeted by criminal networks grows.

The United Nations Office on Drugs on Crime (UNODC), the leading entity within the UN system to address the criminal elements of human trafficking, is supporting countries that are affected by the refugee crisis to identify potential victims and develop short and long-term strategies to prevent this crime.

Latest figures from the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) indicate that around ninety percent of the over 3.6 million refugees from Ukraine are women and children.

“Evidence from conflicts shows that criminals profit from the chaos and desperation of war. Crisis increases vulnerabilities as well as opportunities to exploit people in need, especially internally displaced people and refugees,” says UNODC Executive Director Ghada Waly.

UNODC is working closely with other UN and international entities, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and law enforcement authorities to coordinate responses to the current risks.

“People who have fled conflict, especially women and children, are particularly at risk of human trafficking and exploitation,” says Ms. Waly.

“The longer a conflict lasts, the more vulnerable they can become as they struggle to start a new life. We need to take urgent and determined action to protect people and prevent them from falling victim to traffickers.”

UNODC research has demonstrated how people fleeing conflict are vulnerable to becoming victims of trafficking.

Portugal received 65 unaccompanied minors from Ukraine

Until Friday, 1,800 expressions of interest from Portuguese families were registered to welcome Ukrainian children through the platform created by the Government. Since the beginning of the war, 23,813 requests for temporary protection have been made from Ukraine, of which 8,511 are for children.

Platform for Refugees warns of convoys that bring unaccompanied minors without certified information about family members with whom to leave them.

Covid-19: vaccination certificate for minors no longer expires

Under the new rules, only Covid digital certificates from the European Union (EU) of those over 18 are now subject to a validity period of 270 days (nine months) after the administration of the last dose of primary vaccination.

Minors who have received at least the primary vaccination against covid-19 are exempt from the nine-month validity period of the European digital certificate, according to the new rules adopted today by the European Commission.

Under the new rules, only European Union (EU) covid digital certificates of those over 18 are now subject to a validity period of 270 days (nine months) after the administration of the last dose of primary vaccination.

For Johnson & Johnson vaccine, this means 270 days after the first and only injection. For a two-dose vaccine, it means 270 days after the second injection.

This relaxation of the rules is due to the fact that not all EU Member States recommend reinforcing vaccination for minors.

The exemption must be applied by each Member State – by adapting the applications that verify the validity of the certificates – until 6 April.

The EU Covid Digital Certificate is digital proof that a person is vaccinated against the disease, received a negative test result or recovered from Covid-19.

Extreme heat will cause more deaths in the future and extreme cold less.

The research, released this Tuesday, assesses the impact of climate change on the mortality of the population in the metropolitan areas of Lisbon and Porto, having used “advanced models to quantify the effects of temperature on mortality”, in the short term (years 2051 to 2065). ) and long term (2085-2099), when compared to the historical period from 1991 to 2005.

It also includes studies “that incorporate prospective demographic scenarios into temperature-related mortality projections under current and future conditions (2046-2065), taking into account cold and heat-related mortality”, revealed the UC, in a press release.

Speaking to the Lusa agency, Mónica Rodrigues, a researcher at the Center for Studies on Geography and Spatial Planning (CEGOT) at the University of Coimbra, explained that the research results show that, in future periods, “an increase in temperature is expected, both in summer and winter, with a higher frequency of heat waves, influencing mortality”.

“We found that extreme heat is the one with the most significant values. There is an excess of mortality associated with extreme temperatures, in the case of the summer months”, said the expert, stressing that, like low temperatures, “people over 65 are also the age group most vulnerable to heat”.

In the winter period and Portugal being one of the European countries “which has the highest mortality rate”, even with mild temperatures, mortality in the future “will be more accentuated with temperate temperatures and will not be so accentuated with extreme temperatures”.

Ukrainian doctors who do not speak Portuguese will be able to practice with a tutor

The Ordem dos Médicos (OM) is available to postpone the communication test in Portuguese for Ukrainian doctors who are arriving in Portugal, facilitating their integration into work teams under the guidance of a tutor. They are not exempt from the prior recognition of medical courses, which is carried out by Portuguese universities.

Miguel Guimarães, chairman of the OM, added that the proposal, already presented to the Ministry of Health, comes under the refugee equivalent status, which is being given to Ukrainians, and aims to “facilitate registration in the Order” so that they can integrate in the business market. The “figure of the doctor without autonomy” will be used.

In order not to jeopardize the integration of these doctors, having the medical course already recognized, what we can do is accept that they work as a team in the National Health Service, having a tutor doctor”, who must speak Portuguese and Ukrainian or English, if there is a good command of this other foreign language, specified Miguel Guimarães.

“That way, they integrate, learning our way of working and earning an income”. After “three or six months, depending on the circumstances, they take the Portuguese test and, then, if they pass, they are like any normal doctor with autonomy”, he added, stressing that this system takes into account the “protection of the quality of medicine and the safety of [sick] people”.

So far, the OM has received “two contacts from two Ukrainian doctors, who are here with their children and asked what they had to do to register”, said the chairman.

Health

Hospital administrators call for solutions for emergencies

The president of the Portuguese Association of Hospital Administrators (APAH) defended today that “structured solutions” are needed to solve the “chronic problem” of demand for emergency services, which is very high in some public hospitals.

“We have seen a very high growth in demand for emergency services in some NHS hospitals. It is also not surprising in the face of a chronic problem for which it is important to have structured solutions, which take a long time to be implemented”, Alexandre Lourenço told the Lusa agency.

The situation of patients who are discharged from the clinic, but who remain hospitalized for lack of social response, also contributes to this situation, another “chronic problem”.

“Often, emergency rooms are overcrowded for the simple reason that we are unable to transfer patients from the emergency room to the inpatient unit that is exhausted, because hospitals do not have the capacity to transfer patients who are in inpatient care to the community or to other institutions”, he explained.

APAH has requested “structured responses of integration” from the health sector and the social sector to find joint responses for these patients, which was what happened at the peak of the pandemic in which the social sector supported hospitals in this regard.

“It is necessary to have a structural response that does not depend only on moments of the covid-19 pandemic”, he said, warning that the health status of these patients worsens and they lose autonomy, and, on the other hand, families have less and less capacity to care for them at home.

 

Algarve Situation Report Wednesday 30th March 2022

Municipality of Faro wants to reduce noise caused by night establishments

The Municipality of Faro approved this Monday, at a chamber meeting, the new regulation of the opening hours of commercial establishments and the provision of services in the municipality and the new municipal noise regulation.

The previous regulation on opening hours of establishments came into force in April 2017 and has remained unchanged since then, while the current noise regulation came into force in 2012.

As the municipality points out in a note sent, the first of these regulations introduced a set of changes, including the liberalization of opening hours of establishments selling to the public, provision of services, restaurants or drinks, establishments with a dance space or where perform shows.

According to the Municipality, the discomfort felt by the population regarding the noise caused by the operation of establishments, due to music, with loud music on public roads and the agglomeration of consumers outside them, has created a situation of excessive noise.

In this sense, for reasons of safety and protection of the quality of life of citizens, the regulation now approved defines that restaurant, beverage or mixed establishments (restaurants, cafes or pastry shops, among others) can operate every day between 06:00 and at 2:00 am the next day.

Drinks and restaurants, duly licensed (bars, concert halls, theatres, cinemas, venues, among others) may operate between 10:00 am and 3:00 am the following day, from Sunday to Thursday, and between 10:00 am and 4:00 am, the following day on Fridays, Saturdays and eves of public holidays.

São Brás de Alportel celebrates the Centenary of the 1st Air Crossing of the South Atlantic with a cycle of conversations

São Brás de Alportel will mark the Centenary of the 1st Air Crossing of the South Atlantic with a cycle of “Curious Conversations” that begins this Wednesday, March 30, at the Dr. Blonde Stanco.

The first conversation will begin at 5:30 pm and will revolve around the theme “1st Air Crossing of the South Atlantic: the voyage and its preparation” which will be presented by Admiral Martins Guerreiro, Captain of Abril and great enthusiast of the idea of ​​naming from Gago Coutinho, with roots in São Brás de Alportel, to Faro International Airport.

On the occasion, the documentary exhibition “Por Mares Não Dantes Navegados” will take place, which will be displayed at the Municipal Library and which will later travel through the municipality, in an initiative of the municipality, with the support of the São Brás de Alportel Collecting Nucleus.

The “Curious Conversations” will be held monthly. They will continue on April 8 with the theme “Gago Coutinho: the unlikely hero”, presented from 4 pm onwards, by José Correia Martins.

“Towards Gago Coutinho Airport: Imaginary journey through the main Portuguese airports” is the theme that José Belchior will present on May 13, starting at 4:00 pm. 

Tavira invites children to celebrate International Children’s Book Day

The Álvaro de Campos Municipal Library celebrates, on April 2, the International Children’s Book Day with a program that aims to encourage reading and the construction of learning in the younger audience.

In this sense, children from the age of five are invited, along with their family and friends, to celebrate this date with the following activities:

19:00: Reception and introduction of participants

20h00: “Listening to” with Maurício Leite

9:30 pm: Listen to shared stories “Who wants to tell?”

The actions are free of charge, but registration is mandatory, so those interested should make their reservation through the e-mail library@cm-tavira.pt.

The municipality advances that, on April 2, the birth of Hans Christian Andersen is celebrated all over the world. From 1967, this date became known as International Children’s Book Day, drawing attention to the importance of reading and the fundamental role of books for children.

 

 

The Overseas Situation Report Friday 25th March 2022

by Mike Evans

“No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow” 

English Proverb

With the world concentrating on the War that is happening in Ukraine it has been a while since we last posted an Overseas report. For this report we are reporting on the situation across Europe with regards to the covid travel restrictions that are still in place.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has revealed through its latest update that even though the COVID-19 situation has started to improve in some specific areas, other ones keep on registering new infection cases. The maps updated yesterday, on March 24, by the EU Health Agency show that several popular destinations – France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Belgium, and Austria – have been registering increased infection cases.

Taking into account the high number of newly detected infection cases, ECDC has explained that all these countries are either coloured dark red or red on their map which we have reproduced on our Facebook page.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), of all EU countries, France has been registering the highest infection rate. Data provided by WHO show that France has reported 713,812 new COVID-19 infection cases in the last seven days.

Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Poland, Belgium, and Austria have also been registering increased numbers of infection cases. In the last seven days, Germany reported 1,606,389 new infection cases. During the same period, Italy reported 506,984 new cases, Spain reported 78,463 new cases, the Netherlands reported 295,374 cases, Poland reported 61,462 cases, Belgium reported 56,577 new cases, and Austria reported 308,620 new cases.

Taking into account the sudden increase of COVID-19 cases, travellers might feel hesitant about taking a trip outside their country this spring.

However, according to many travel experts, it is completely safe for vaccinated persons to travel within the EU as the current Omicron subvariant is milder than the previous variants.

“The subvariant of Omicron, known as BA.2, is less likely to result in severe illness. Travellers who have completed their primary vaccination, as well as those who have received an additional vaccine dose, do not need to put their plans on hold. However, everyone is still recommended to follow basic health measures, such as washing hands regularly and staying home when experiencing any symptoms,” the experts assert.

While ECDC currently advises that only persons who have been fully vaccinated and recovered from the virus take non-essential trips, several EU countries now permit entry to everyone, even to unvaccinated and unrecovered persons.

After concluding that the virus no longer causes serious health implications, six European Union and European Economic Area countries – Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Romania, and Slovenia – have decided to lift all their COVID-19 restrictions.

As spring and summer holidays approach, six European Union/European Economic Area countries have already announced that they no longer ask travellers to present valid COVID-19 proof upon arrival.

Hungary lifted its entry restrictions earlier this month. Announcing the decision, the Hungarian government said that all incoming travellers, regardless of their country of origin, can now enter Hungary without having to present a vaccination, recovery, or test certificate upon their arrival.

In addition, Hungary has also abolished the majority of its domestic COVID-19 restrictions. Travellers are no longer required to hold a valid vaccination or recovery pass when accessing cafes, restaurants, bars, cinemas, and museums, among others.

Similarly, travellers are exempt from all the entry rules when entering Iceland too.

“All COVID-19 measures at the Icelandic border have now ended. Thereby no COVID-19 prevention measures will be in place at the border, regardless of whether individuals are vaccinated or unvaccinated,” the statement of the Icelandic authorities reads.

While in Iceland, travellers are not required to follow any national measures as the country has abolished them too.

Irish authorities also announced earlier this month that the country would no longer require travellers to present one of the certificates upon entry. Moreover, Ireland has also removed the requirement to fill in the Passenger Locator Form.

Just like the three above-mentioned countries, Norway also permits restriction-free entry to travellers. All persons, even unvaccinated and unrecovered ones, have been able to enter Norway without having to worry about the entry and domestic rules.

Slovenia has lifted all its measures too. All travellers, regardless of their country of origin, can now enter Slovenia without being required to provide proof of their vaccination or recovery status. However, the authorities have explained some categories of travellers are still required to complete the Passenger Locator Form.

Unlike Slovenia, Romania applies more relaxed rules. Apart from removing the requirement to present a vaccination or recovery certificate, the country’s authorities have also lifted the requirement to fill out the Passenger Locator Form.

Other countries, such as Germany, France, and Italy, have also eased some of their COVID-19 rules. The majority of them no longer require travellers to hold a vaccination, recovery, or test certificate when accessing different public places and events. All travellers, regardless of their vaccination and recovery status, can now enter these six countries for all kinds of purposes without having to present a vaccination, recovery, or test certificate upon their entry.

Other countries have also eased some of their restrictions. The majority of them have already lifted their domestic COVID-19 rules, meaning that they no longer require travellers to hold valid proof when accessing different public places and events. While travellers have welcomed the decision of EU countries to lift or relax some of their restrictions, the World Health Organisation (WHO) remains cautious about the current situation.

WHO Regional Director for Europe, Hans Kluge, said earlier this week that the EU countries lifted their restrictions ‘too brutally’. According to him, the COVID-19 infection cases have been increasing rapidly within the EU as some countries dropped their measures too early.

It remains to be seen if these words from the WHO come to pass or as many others feel the time’s right now for the world to start getting back to what it was doing two years ago.

Until the next time Stay Safe and happy Travelling if you are…

Total Cases Worldwide – 480,082,835

Total Deaths Worldwide – 6,143,626

Total Recovered Worldwide – 414,493,135

Total Active Cases Worldwide – 59,446,074 (12.4 % of the total cases)

Total Closed Cases Worldwide – 420,636,761

Information and Resources:

https://www.worldometer.info/coronavirus/

 

 

 

Madeira Situation Report Wednesday 23rd March 2022 

By Daniel Fernandes

Brief Covid-19 update

As of March 22nd, there had been 59 Covid-19 cases in the Region’s educational establishments in the previous 24 hours (29 students, 17 teaching staff and 13 non-teaching staff).

On March 21st, there were 87 patients in hospital (16 non-vaccinated, 30 fully vaccinated, 3 vaccinated with 1 dose), none of whom were in intensive care. As for the age of the hospitalised patients who are in the general Covid-19 area, 3 are aged 0-17, 19 are aged 18-65 and 65 are 65 or older.

There were 10 deaths from March 15th to March 21st. There had been a total of 226 deaths.

Covid-19 vaccination

Madeira started administering the Covid-19 booster shot to youths aged 12 to 17. A total of 1,017 vaccine doses were administered during the last weekend, 93 of which were booster shots to youths aged 12-17 and 68 were to children aged 5 to 11.

Municipal heath centres are welcoming all residents aged 5 or older who want to be inoculated against Covid-19 and all residents aged 12 or older who want to receive a booster shot, as long as they had been administered the second vaccine dose more than 90 days ago.

Bookings must be made by calling the vaccine hotline (800 210 263). Residents can choose where to be inoculated. In the Municipality of Funchal vaccination takes place at Bom Jesus Health Centre (Centro de Saúde do Bom Jesus) on Saturdays and Sundays while vaccination in the remaining municipalities takes place every fortnight, on Saturdays.

Ukrainian refugees

As of March 16th, around 280 Ukrainian refugees had arrived in the Autonomous Region of Madeira. Valentyna Chan, the regional representative of Associação dos Ucranianos de Portugal (an association representing Ukrainians in Portugal), said there had been some difficulty in the provision of accommodation to them, although they have been trying to help everyone.

Whoever is interested in helping to provide accommodation to Ukrainian refugees should register with Secretaria Regional da Inclusão Social e Cidadania (Regional Secretariat for Social Inclusion and Citizenship), by filling in a form mentioning the type of accommodation and its location.

A campaign is underway to receive donations of goods that are being sent to Ukraine. Food and medication are the most needed goods. According to Valentyna Chan, clothes were no longer required.

The Municipality of Funchal, Grupo Sousa and Associação dos Ucranianos de Portugal had signed a deal with the aim of collecting all donations to be sent to Ukraine. The Municipality of Funchal is responsible for providing information on the donation requests. LOGISLINK (belonging to Grupo Sousa) will assemble all donations and ship them by sea to the mainland (Alverca), before being shipped to Ukraine.

Heavy seas warning

A warning against heavy seas is in place today until 18h00. There will be strong winds, good (sometimes moderate) visibility, 3,5-4 metres high waves from north-west on the north coast, and 1-2 metres high waves from west on the south coast. Vessel owners are advised to take the necessary precautions to ensure their safety.

Power cut

Empresa de Electricidade da Madeira (Madeira power supplier) announced there will be power cuts due to scheduled work on the electricity supply network. These cannot be postponed and will take place in the following days and places:

SANTA CRUZ

March 23rd – 09h00 to 12h30 (TODAY)

– Caminho de Roma

– Moinhos

– Dona Mércia

– Levadas

– Fazenda

– Eira do Palheiro

– Rua Capela Nossa Senhora dos Remédios

FUNCHAL

March 23rd – 09h00 to 11h30 (TODAY)

– Avenida Santiago Menor (numbers 1A, 1B, 1C, 2A, 2B, 2C, 21, 23 – Shop, 3A, 3B, 3C)

RIBEIRA BRAVA

March 24th – 09h00 to 10h00

– Espigão

FUNCHAL

March 24th – 00h00 to 06h00

– Rua Hospital Velho (numbers 5A to 19A)

– Largo dos Lavradores (number 3)

March 25th – 00h00 to 04h00

– Rua do Padre Gonçalves Câmara (numbers 24 to 28)

– Rua 5 de Outubro (number 58B)

– Rua do Marquês de Pombal

– Travessa do Forno (LREC)

March 25h – 09h00 to 11h30

– Avenida Santiago Menor (numbers 1, 2, 3, 4 and 14)

CANIÇO

March 26th – 00h00 to 04h00

– Rua Dom Francisco Santana

– Travessa Encosta dos Reis Magos

– Encosta dos Magos

However, power could be restored during the time frame mentioned above. So, for safety purposes, it should be assumed that there will be power at any time during this period of time.

If necessary, customers can contact the free Customer Support Service number (Serviço de Apoio ao Cliente): 800 221 187.

 

 

 

Portugal Situation Report Wednesday 23rd March 2022

All eyes at present are turned to the situation concerning Sao Jorge Island in the Azores where since 19th March there have been over 1800 low magnitude earthquakes of which around 100 have been felt.

At 7.24 pm (Azores time) yesterday the Regional Civil Protection and Fire Service of the Azores (SRPCBA), issued a bulletin preventively advising avoiding non-essential travel to the island of São Jorge, such as sporting or cultural activities, so as not to create additional constraints of possible assistance to the population. This bulletin “does not exclude possible events of greater magnitude” in other words a risk of an earthquake of greater magnitude than those already occurring.

The stated earlier yesterday that it is “preparing preventive measures that can be adopted in a possible scenario of a greater magnitude earthquake or a possible eruption, resulting from the seismic-volcanic crisis that is being recorded, since on the 19th of March, on the island of São Jorge”. The SRPCBA appeals to the population to remain calm, be attentive and follow the information and recommendations disseminated by the authorities, not contributing to the dissemination of rumours.

Interestingly it almost a year since the VOLCAZO 21.01 “national exercise which took place on 21st 2021. The scenario involved a simulation of an eruption of volcanic ash from the Furnas Volcano, located on the island of São Miguel, with a plume with 17 km of altitude that will affect the Oceanic FIR of Santa Maria, the Lisbon FIR and the Madrid FIR.

Still on the subject of civil protection the weather warnings issued over the last few days have proved correct with some very heavy showers on Sunday afternoon resulting in around 150 occorances being registered by the ANEPC. There was no serious flooding and no reports of injuries. Rain of course is much need at present but hopefully not in intensity that causes damage. Unfortunately the recent rains have had minimal impact on the drought situation especially in the Algarve. Please monitor the warnings issued today.

Turning to the war in Ukraine – In our last weekly report (last Wednesday) I stated there appears an increase is starting in the use of longer range artillery and missiles, which Russia can launch from within the safety of Russia held territory itself with greater collateral damage, at the same time protecting its troops. The more the resistance by Ukraine, the more likelihood of this type of bombardment continuing or indeed increasing”.

Certainly this appears to be materialising, with the use of cruise missiles and long range artillery, plus shots fired on Monday from Russian warships in the Black sea, the latter potentially as a prelude to a full scale attack on Odesa. This change of strategy appears to confirm that Russia is not making the headway it had planned using ground troops, and instead is using long range missile strikes to cause greater terror and also civilian casualties.

All indications are that ground troops are facing stiff resistance with Ukraine regain ground from Russian troops. There are reportedly communication problems in the Russian attack, lack of coordination and logistical support to the troops which are assessed as sufficient for only 3 days.

It is reported by Tukey who are that the negotiations between Ukraine and Russia are making some headway but there are also reports particularly from the Russian side that there is more to be done by Ukraine to meet their demands.

The continuance of the war has resulted according to the UNHCR to the largest humanitarian crisis of its kind in Europe since World War II. Unless there is some sort of compromise through the negotiations soon, then there is an increased threat of more intense intervention a greater humanitarian crisis and more loss of life.

Turning to rural fire prevention. Yesterday the Order was published on land cleaning inspections for those who have properties in rural areas.  There is a list of 1001 parishes, one less than last year and properties in these areas are liable for inspection between 1st and 30th May. It is important to finish the cleaning of your land well before this date to avoid a hefty fine. Should you have neighbours who are not cleaning their land and it poses a risk to your property, and you cannot contact them then you should consider reporting this to the GNR which can be dome online or through 808 200 520. The list is here: https://dre.pt/dre/detalhe/despacho/3369-2022-180830534

With that have a Safe Day

Covid-19

Portugal with fifth lowest number of deaths attributed to covid-19 in the EU

Portugal has a daily average of 1.73 deaths per million inhabitants in the last seven days, below the European Union average.

Portugal has the fifth lowest number of daily deaths attributed to covid-19 in the European Union, according to data from the statistical website Our World in Data.

According to the numbers updated this Monday, Portugal has a daily average of 1.73 deaths per million inhabitants attributed to the disease in the last seven days, below the European Union average in this indicator, which is 2.41, but above the world, of 0.66.

Of the EU countries, Latvia has the highest average (5.74), followed by Denmark (5.58), Finland (5.41), Greece (5.17) and Slovakia (5.03).

Worldwide and considering only countries with more than one million inhabitants, Hong Kong has the highest average (35.9 daily deaths attributed to covid-19), followed by Norway (10.87), South Korea (6 .02), Latvia and Denmark.

In terms of new daily cases per million inhabitants, Portugal dropped from an average of 1,200 in the previous seven days to 1,100 and went from the 13th to the 16th highest in the European Union.

In this indicator, Austria has the highest average, at 4,930, followed by Cyprus (3,880), the Netherlands (2,860), Germany (2,620) and Latvia (2,200).

Ukraine: Ukrainian community becomes second largest resident in Portugal

The refugees who are arriving in Portugal as a result of the war situation in Ukraine have made the Ukrainian community the second largest resident in the country, after the Brazilian.

Data from the Foreigners and Borders Service (SEF) sent to the Lusa agency indicate that since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, on February 24, around 18,400 citizens from that country have asked Portugal for temporary protection.

According to the SEF, before the invasion of Russia, 27,200 Ukrainians lived in Portugal, which currently totals more than 45,500 citizens, making this community the second largest resident in the country.

The Ukrainian community residing in Portugal moves to the place that until now was occupied by citizens from the United Kingdom, who are about 42,300.

According to the SEF, the most representative nationalities are from Brazil (209,072), followed by Ukraine, the United Kingdom, Cape Verde (35,913), India (30,995) and Italy (30,887).

Ukrainian citizens who fled the war can apply for temporary protection from Portugal for one year, which is extendable for two six-month periods.

War in Ukraine – Impact on food prices in Portugal

The director-general of APED, Gonçalo Lobo Xavier, assured today that there will be no disruption of products in supermarkets, signalling, however, that given the current situation, the increase in costs will have consequences on family income.

Speaking at the annual conference of the Association of Specialized Credit Institutions (ASFAC), Gonçalo Lobo Xavier began by underlining that “you don’t have to run to the supermarkets” to shop because “there won’t be a break in products “.

The director-general of the Portuguese Association of Distribution Companies (APED) referred, on the other hand, that the increase in costs (potentiated by the increase in the price of raw materials, the energy bill or by the disruption of distribution chains) will have an implication in the price paid by consumers and consequently on household income.

“In the price of foodstuffs, the average increase (…) will be around 30% and with that there is no efficiency, logistics, crushing of margins to support”, said the director general of APED, adding that “this will have consequences on the income of families and that will be a huge challenge that we will have, whether in digital or in [physical] stores”.

João Vieira Lopes, president of the Confederation of Commerce and Services of Portugal (CCP) also highlighted the situation of a “perfect storm” that is being experienced, pointing out the rise in inflation – more structural than initially thought -, the upward trend of interest rates and the problems with supply chains that came with the pandemic and which the war in Ukraine has accentuated, along with the escalation of energy and raw materials prices.

There is a shortage of diesel and there may be rationing in Europe, warn oil giants

President of Vitol, one of the largest crude oil traders in the world, identifies a systemic risk in the fact that half of Europe’s diesel imports come from Russia

Swiss company Vitol, one of the world’s biggest crude traders, warned that there could be rationing of diesel in Europe, describing the continent’s dependence on Russian and Middle Eastern fuel as a systemic risk.

Vitol’s chief executive admits that refineries may increase production to avoid rationing, although this remains a possibility.

According to the “Financial Times” this Tuesday, March 22, Russell Hardy said at a conference organized by the newspaper that Europe could lose 3 million barrels a day if it sanctions Russia, to which crude oil products are added. “What everyone is going to focus on will be diesel reserves. Europe imports half of its diesel from Russia and about half from the Middle East (…) the systemic discrepancy in diesel exists”, he underlined.

Torbjorn Tornqvist, co-founder and president of Gunvor, another major crude trader, said that the shortage of diesel “is a global problem” and that the gas market is “broken”. It never ” crossed his mind ” that gas below $ 100 per megawatt was considered ” very cheap , ” he said , according to the ” Financial Times ” , at a time of soaring prices .

 

Azores situation report Wednesday 23rd March 2022

From our colleague in the Azores  

Breaking news:

Following the current earthquake-volcanic crisis that has been recorded since March 19th, on the island of São Jorge, and taking into account the latest information made available by the Center for Seismo volcanic Information and Surveillance of the Azores (CIVISA), which does not exclude possible events of greater magnitude, the Regional Civil Protection and Fire Service of the Azores (SRPCBA) is advising against all non-essential travel to the island of São Jorge, such as sporting or cultural activities, so as not to  create additional constraints possible assistance to the population.

 

Covid-19

The Regional Health Authority in the Azores only releases Covid-19 epidemiological and vaccination data on Fridays and not daily.

Here is the data for the 7 days Sat 12th March until Friday the 18th March inclusive.  There were 245 more cases registered during this period and 1291 recoveries. The number of active cases in the region is now 1982 and sadly there have been 3 more deaths bringing the total to 97.  There are 15 patients in the region’s hospitals with one patient in the ICU.

São Jorge Earthquakes 

The municipal emergency plan of the municipality of Velas, in São Jorge, was activated this Monday at 5 pm as a “preventive measure” due to the seismic activity felt since Saturday on that island of the Azores.

Seismic activity in São Jorge continues “far above” reference values, according to the Azores Seismo volcanic Information and Surveillance Centre (CIVISA), which does not exclude the possibility of an event of greater magnitude or possible eruption.

“We continue with a seismicity that is clearly well above what is normal for this volcanic fissure system. Since Saturday, approximately 1800 events have been recorded and 94 of these have been felt. All earthquakes recorded in the CIVISA network are of tectonic origin, at the moment”, explained the president of CIVISA, Rui Marques.

According to the researcher, the fact that the crisis “is located in the so-called fissure volcanic system of ‘Das Mandas’ leads to it being called a seismo volcanic crisis”.

“We have to put all possible scenarios on the table, not discarding anyone, at the level of civil protection, emergency planning, risk management”, remembering that it is “an active volcanic system” which “had an eruption in 1580 and another in 1808”.

The president of CIVISA explained that, on the one hand, there is “the possibility” of the occurrence of “an earthquake with a magnitude greater” than the events that have been recorded in São Jorge.

“It doesn’t take a lot of magnitude for there to be damage. We are talking about epicentres very close to the Velas. And, on the other hand, this seismicity is occurring with a very high frequency in an active volcanic system, which could evolve into what is a volcanic eruption”, he stressed.

Rui Marques underlined, however, that CIVISA continues to carry out “measurements of carbon dioxide in the soil”, adding that now, “there are no changes” “relative to the values ​​of the past”.

On Sunday, four researchers from CIVISA travelled from São Miguel to the island of São Jorge with “the purpose of increasing the capacity for on-site monitoring” of the seismic crisis, which occurs in an area between the village of Velas, in the south of the island, and Fajã do Ouvidor, on the north coast.

Two seismic stations were transported to the island, joining the two that already existed on São Jorge.

“If there is any change in the system, it will be communicated to the Civil Protection bodies”, he said, referring that the populations must maintain “calm”, being “attentive to the information that is transmitted by official bodies”, but “they must not disperse against information that “sometimes they looked to sources other than the official ones”.

SRPCBA 

The Civil Protection of the Azores “is preparing preventive measures that can be adopted in a possible scenario of an earthquake of greater magnitude or a possible eruption” in São Jorge, resulting from the seismo volcanic crisis.

“The Azores Regional Civil Protection and Fire Service (SRPCBA) informs that it is preparing preventive measures that can be adopted in a possible scenario of a greater magnitude earthquake or a possible eruption, resulting from the seismo volcanic crisis that is being recorded, since March 19, on the island of São Jorge”, reads a statement sent to newsrooms.

According to Civil Protection, the measures are being designed in conjunction with the municipalities and agents with responsibility around ​​aid to the populations, revealing that “a technician from the SRPCBA is already on the island of São Jorge to meet with the municipalities and provide support” and “the dispatch of support equipment is being implemented to reinforce the island’s response capacity in case of need”.

 

President of the Azorean government cancels his trip to Brazil due to the seismic crisis in São Jorge 

The president of the Government of the Azores, José Manuel Bolieiro, will not be part of the official visit of the executive to Brazil, scheduled for Wednesday, due to the seismic crisis on the island of São Jorge

He said, “I have been closely following the seismic crisis that the island of São Jorge is going through. I had planned to leave for Brazil on Wednesday, on an official visit, but given the circumstances I chose not to follow the entourage”.

A source from the Regional Government told Lusa that Bolieiro will have an informal conversation about the seismic crisis in São Jorge with the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, and with the Prime Minister, António Costa, at the meeting of the Superior Council for National Defence, which will take place at Palácio da Cidadela, in Cascais.

 

Algarve Situation Report Wednesday 23rd March 2022

The Vila do Bispo City Council launches today, World Water Day, a campaign that calls for water saving in the municipality.

Using a photograph that shows the low level of water in the Bravura Dam, the municipality alerts the population to the possibility that, if the weather conditions are maintained and there are no significant savings in consumption, there will be problems in supply in the months summer.

The campaign will be present in the communication channels of the Municipality, local press and water bills, in order to reach all citizens, as well as merchants and other economic agents in the municipality.

The Bravura Dam, which supplies the western Algarve, is only 14% of its maximum level and the entire Algarve region is in extreme drought, being one of the most affected areas of the country. In February, the use of water from the dam for irrigation by farmers was prohibited and, at the meeting of the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA)/Regional Subcommittee for the South Zone of the Reservoir Management Commission, held on 23 February in Lagos, one of the contingency measures approved to deal with the worsening hydrological situation in the Algarve was to establish “… the exclusive use of the Bravura reservoir for supply, temporarily suspending all other uses”.

At the municipal level, the Vila do Bispo City Council decided to suspend the procedure for new requests for water supply lines for agricultural irrigation, and work is being carried out on the monitoring and control of water losses.

Fires: Tavira expects to finish works in the centre of aerial means by December

The City Council of Tavira expects to conclude the tender for the works of the Centro de Meios Aéreo de Cachopo by June and have the intervention ready by December, keeping the runway operational during the fire season, estimated the municipality.

The intervention in the Centro de Meios Aéreos de Cachopo, located in the Algarve mountains, 40 kilometres from the coast, is budgeted at 2.5 million euros, with community funding, in order to “strengthen the response capacity of protection and rescue of airlines in the Algarve”, specified the municipality.

Speaking to Lusa, a source from the municipality said that the work, which provides for the requalification of the existing track and the construction of a support building, among other works, has not yet been awarded, and the procedure is in the tender phase until March 30, process that should be completed in the first half of 2022.

“Currently, the Cachopo Heliport only works during the period to fight forest fires, between June and September. The work has an execution period of six months and the municipality will seek to reconcile the execution of the work with the operation of the runway”, assured the same source.

After the works, the center will be ready to operate throughout the year, instead of only being active during the summer, during the period of greatest fire risk, he added.

High-speed boat found in Culatra, Algarve

On Sunday, a high-speed vessel was found stranded on the island of Culatra, in the municipality of Faro.

A high-speed vessel was detected this morning, with various material inside and without crew on board, which was stranded on the island of Culatra, in the municipality of Faro, according to the National Maritime Authority.

Following an alert received by the local Command of the Maritime Police of Olhão, at 06:30, reporting the presence of a vessel stranded on the island of Culatra, elements of the Maritime Police and the Captaincy of the Port went to check the vessel.

Upon arrival at the site, the Maritime Police found that it was a high-speed vessel, which had been abandoned with various material inside, and it was not possible to remove the vessel from the site due to the weather conditions at the time.

The Judiciary Police was contacted.

Comment

These types of vessels are increasingly used by drug traffickers and some have speeds in excess of 100 km/h.

 

 

 

Azores Situation Report Wednesday 16th March 2022

From our colleague in the Azores

The Regional Health Authority in the Azores will only release Covid-19 epidemiological and vaccination data on Fridays and not daily.

Government of the Azores says it will revoke the use of mask in the coming weeks 

“If this record of a decrease in cases and hospitalizations is maintained, none in intensive care, for a few more weeks, and realizing that this decrease is consolidated, there will no longer be mandatory use of a mask”, said the regional secretary for Health and Azores Sports, Clélio Meneses.

The official was speaking at a press conference in Angra do Heroísmo, on the day that marks two years of the first case of infection with the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, which causes covid-19, detected in the region.

According to the head of the Health Ministry in the Azores, the possibility of revoking the mandatory use of a mask is being analysed, one of the only measures to control the covid-19 pandemic in force in the region, while maintaining the “protection of the most vulnerable”.

“The use of a mask in spaces with people who are vulnerable or due to illness or age may still be necessary”, he said.

Government of the Azores spent 80 million euros to fight the pandemic 

The Regional Government of the Azores spent around 80 million euros on the management of the covid-19 pandemic, revealed the regional secretary for Health, on the day that marks two years of the first case detected in the region.

The Azores diagnosed the first case of SARS-CoV-2 infection, which causes the covid-19 disease, on March 14th 2020 (communicated the next day).

In two years, the region recorded 65,041 cases of infection, 62,917 recoveries and 94 deaths

Santo Cristo festivities take place again in São Miguel 

The Santo Cristo parties, suspended two years ago due to the Covid-19 pandemic, will take place again this year, in Ponta Delgada, on the island of São Miguel, in a new format, between 14th and the 26th of May.

The parties, which refer to the image of “Ecce Homo”, take place in the city of Ponta Delgada, in the Azores, on the fifth Sunday after Easter.

The festivities of Senhor Santo Cristo dos Milagres, considered the second largest religious manifestation in the country after the pilgrimages to Fátima, annually bring thousands of pilgrims from all over the world to the island of São Miguel, coming from the nine islands of the Azores, from the mainland, as well as well as the United States of America and Canada.

 

 

 

Madeira Situation Report Wednesday 16th March 2022 

By Daniel Fernandes

Brief Covid-19 update

On March 15th, there were 68 patients in hospital (15 non-vaccinated, 22 fully vaccinated, 26 vaccinated with a booster shot), 1 of whom in intensive care (non-vaccinated). As for the age of the hospitalised patients who are in the general Covid-19 area, 3 are aged 0-17, 18 are aged 18-65 and 47 are 65 or older. The patient who is in intensive care is aged 65 or older.

There were 6 deaths from March 7th and March 15th. There have now been a total of 216 deaths.

Loosening of rules on face masks and isolation

The Madeira Council of Government (Conselho de Governo) decided to keep most Covid-19 control policies in place until March 31st (23h59).

However, there will be some exceptions. One is that the use of face masks will no longer be mandatory in outdoor areas. Nevertheless, the use of face masks will remain mandatory in indoor areas. Another exception is on that people who had contact with people with asymptomatic Covid-19 infection will no longer have to go into isolation. If they had contact with people with symptomatic Covid-19 infection, they will still have to go into isolation.

The Situation of Calamity (Situação de Calamidade) stopped being in place on March 15th (00h00). Instead, the Region is facing a Situation of Alert (Situação de Alerta) until March 31st (23h59).

Storm Célia update

The yellow warning for maritime agitation on the north coast of the Island of Madeira and on the Island of Porto Santo will remain in place until March 17th (18h00). Both places will face 4-5 metres high waves coming from the north-west.

Moderate wind will continue until Thursday, with gust winds that could reach 70-80 km/h. Disruption to flights at Madeira Airport (Funchal) may continue until Thursday.

TAP to resume regular flights to Venezuela In June

TAP announced it will resume regular flights to Caracas (Venezuela) on June 21st. The regular flights will depart from Lisbon on Tuesdays and Saturdays at 12h10 and will land in Caracas at 15h50 (local time). It will depart from Caracas on the same days at 18h20 and will land in Lisbon at 07h25 (following day).

The flights will be operated by an A330neo that has a maximum capacity of 298 passengers.

Small earthquake in Madeira (today)

A magnitude 2.2 earthquake took in the Madeira coast early in the morning. It took place at 06h22. Its epicentre was in the south-west coast of Câmara de Lobos and its depth was 4 Km. So far, it is not known if the earthquake was felt by the population.

Water supply disruption

The Municipality of Funchal announced there will be a water supply disruption TODAY, at Caminho da Quinta, from 09h00 to 17h00.

The Municipality of Funchal also announced there will be a water supply disruption TODAY, in São João Latrão, from 15h00 to 23h00. This will be due to scheduled work on the water supply system. The following areas will be affected:

            Caminho dos Salões;

            Rua dos Salões;

            Vereda dos Estanquinhos

            Caminho de São João Latrão;

            Rua da Eira;

            3ª Travessa das Pedras;

            Vereda das Pedras;

            2ª Travessa das Pedras;

            Caminho das Pedras;

            Vereda do Lombo de São João Latrão;

            Travessa da Cova;

            Escadaria da Cova;

            Caminho do Terço;

            Entrada 108 do Caminho do Terço;

            Escadas da Travessa do Pomar;

            Vereda do Farrobo de Cima;

            Rua Nova do Pomar;

            Rua do Pomar;

            Travessa do Manerra;

            Vereda do Ribeiro Domingos Dias;

            Estrada do Curral dos Romeiros;

            Caminho do Meio;

            Caminho das Voltas;

            Vereda do Ribeiro Domingos Dias.

The following areas may also face water supply disruptions:

            Beco do Transval;

            Travessa do Pomar;

            Rua do Clube da Choupana;

            Ladeira do Clube da Choupana;

            Rua do Miranda;

            Vereda do Clube da Choupana;

            Impasse da Murta;

            Impasse do Jardim Botânico;

            Impasse do Caminho do Meio;

            Rua do Jardim Botânico;

            Vereda da Bela Vista;

            Caminho da Casa Velha;

            Travessa do Transval;

            Rua da Casa Velha;

            Vereda do Transval;

            Escadas da Lindinha;

            Rua Nova do Transval;

            Estrada da Boa Nova;

            Beco do Transval;

            2ª Travessa do Transval;

            Beco do Valado;

            Vereda da Rocha;

            2ª Travessa do Transval;

            Rua da Boa Nova;

            Beco da Doca;

            Caminho da Doca;

            Travessa da Doca;

            Caminho do Palheiro.

Power cut

Empresa de Electricidade da Madeira (Madeira power supplier) announced there will be power cuts due to scheduled work on the electricity supply network. These cannot be postponed and will take place in the following days and places:

FUNCHAL

March 16th – 09h00 to 11h30 (TODAY)

– Beco da Amoreira (numbers 1 to 26)

– Caminho da Nazaré (numbers 22 and 30)

– Rua dos Estados Unidos da América (numbers 4A to 20)

March 16th – 09h00 to 12h00 (TODAY)

– Rua da Saúde (numbers 2 to 14)

March 17th – 09h00 to 11h30

– Becos da Nora (numbers 12 and 14 & Fração A to Fração Q)

March 17th – 09h00 to 11h30 & 14h00 to 16h00

– Caminho do Laranjal (numbers 62 to 95)

– Vereda do Júlio (numbers 3 and 10)

FAIAL

March 17th – 09h00 to 12h30

– Fajã da Murta

March 17th – 11h45 to 12h30

– Lombo de Cima

March 17th – 23h00 to 24h00 & March 18th – 00h00 to 03h00 

– Largo dos Lavradores (number 3)

– Rua Hospital Velho (numbers 5A to 19A)

However, power could be restored during the time frame mentioned above. So, for safety purposes, it should be assumed that there will be power at any time during this period of time.

If necessary, customers can contact the free Customer Support Service number (Serviço de Apoio ao Cliente): 800 221 187.