Azores Situation Report Wednesday 7th December 2022

From our colleague in the Azores

Covid-19 

In the seven days from Friday 25th of November until Thursday 1st of December there were 63 new positive cases of Covid-19 registered in the Azores, and a total of 1,318 tests performed. 97 people have recovered, no new deaths have been recorded in the last week with the total at 120. There are 113 active cases, 34 fewer than the previous week.

There are 11 patients in the region’s hospitals as of 2nd of December with Covid, four of which are in hospital because of Covid. There are no patients in the ICU.

121572 people in the region have had Covid, that’s over 50% of the population.

15-year-old dies in bicycle accident 

A 15-year-old young man died, on Wednesday, in the municipality of Ponta Delgada, while riding a bicycle, following a collision with a car.

The accident happened late, last Wednesday afternoon, at 5:45 pm, on Rua Duarte Borges, next to the intersection with the entrance and exit of the SCUT that connects Ponta Delgada to Lagoa.

The 15-year-old young man was transported from the accident site as a serious injured person, but he would eventually die in the Ponta Delgada hospital.

The circumstances of the collision between the car and the bicycle, which led to the death of this 15-year-old, will now be investigated in an inquiry to be carried out by the Public Security Police.

The driver of the car involved in the accident was not injured.

Azorean merchants with positive expectations for the festive season 

Representatives of the Chambers of Commerce and Industry of the Azores have positive expectations regarding sales in the Christmas season, although they admit that consumers may choose priorities due to the inflationary crisis.

Ice rink tickets available 

Ponta Delgada City Council is already making tickets available for the ice rink (PDL ON ICE), located in Campo de São Francisco.

The provision of these tickets to the public will be the responsibility of the following entities: AHRESP – Associação da Hotelaria, Restauração e Similares de Portugal, Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Ponta Delgada and Associação da Hotelaria de Portugal.

Tickets can also be picked up at Lojas do Munícipe, which are in the Town Hall and in the private works building, located at Rua Dr. João Francisco de Sousa, between 8:30 am and 3:30 pm.

Each person can collect up to five tickets.

Inaugurated on December 1, the ice rink will remain open until January 8 between 2 pm and 11 pm, but will be closed on December 24, 25, 31 and January 1, 2023.

The ice rink has an area of ​​200 square meters and was installed inside a tent, to guarantee a comfortable and safe space for visitors, says the municipality.

 

 

Azores Situation Report Wednesday 30th November 2022

From our colleague in the Azores

Covid-19 

In the seven days from Friday 18th of November until Thursday 24th of November there were 74 new positive cases of Covid-19 registered in the Azores, and a total of 1,557 tests performed. 99 people have recovered, and two deaths have been recorded in the last two weeks with the total at 120. There are 147 active cases, fewer than the previous week.

There are 11 patients in the region’s hospitals as of 25^th of October with Covid, all of which are in hospital because of Covid. There are no patients in the ICU.

121572 people in the region have had Covid, that’s over 50% of the population.

Man rescued alive after being buried in works in the city of Ponta Delgada 

The fall of a structure in an apartment construction project in Ponta Delgada, on the island of São Miguel, in the Azores, last Friday caused injuries to a 49-year-old man, who was buried.

Deputy Commander Fernando Infante explained that the Volunteer Firefighters of Ponta Delgada were called to the scene shortly after 10:00 am, having activated the search and rescue team in collapsed buildings.

Upon arrival at the scene, firefighters found that “the worker had already been rescued by colleagues, he was no longer buried and was conscious”, he added.

The man was transported by firefighters to the Hospital do Divino Espírito Santo in Ponta Delgada due to pain in the upper and lower limbs, the causes of the accident being unknown.

Region wants to implement lung cancer screening 

The region is developing preliminary studies for the creation of cancer screening which, in the Azores, has twice the incidence of the mainland

Government of the Azores and local authority invest in water supply on Graciosa Island 

The Government of the Azores and the Municipality of Santa Cruz da Graciosa will sign a contract that aims to overcome the problems in the supply of water to the population and the crops.

The project is budgeted at 1.4 million euros, with an execution period of 14 months.

The mayor wants to promote the “replacement of the old network so that water losses can be combated and its quality improved”, and the work will be carried out in the parish of Guadalupe.

The current water supply network on Graciosa Island is around 50 years old, and its materials are deteriorated.

 

 

Azores Situation Report – Wednesday 9^th November 2022 

 

From our colleague in the Azores

Covid-19 

In the seven days from Friday 28th of October until Thursday 3rd of November there were 86 new positive cases of Covid-19 registered in the Azores, and a total of 1,343 tests performed. 79 people have recovered, and no new deaths have been recorded with the total at 118. There are 116 active cases, 7 more than the previous week.

There are 7 patients in the region’s hospitals as of 4^th of October with Covid, 5 of which are in hospital because of Covid. There are no patients in the ICU.

121,284 people in the region have had Covid, that’s over 50% of the population.

Terra Nostra Garden Hotel distinguished with “Best Countryside Hotel” award by Condé Nast 

Terra Nostra Garden Hotel, known as the reference for tourism and Azorean hospitality, a concept associated with the hotels of the Bensaude Hotels Collection, was distinguished with the award of “Best Countryside Hotel” at the Condé Nast Johansens 2023 awards.

Government of the Azores is preparing for a “good year” for tourism in 2023 

The regional secretary for Tourism said that the region is preparing to have a “good year” for tourism, despite the “clouds on the horizon” dictated by the current unfavourable economic and financial situation.

“We are preparing to have a good tourist year, as we are preparing for 2022, after coming out of a pandemic and in which we had a great tourist year. It is obvious that there are clouds on the horizon, problems that directly impact household income, such as the inflationary issue that is currently being experienced around the world and in Europe, along with the armed conflict in Ukraine”, said Berta Cabral.

The regional secretary for Tourism, Mobility and Infrastructure spoke to journalists, in the municipality of Ribeira Grande, in the Archipelago – Centre for Contemporary Arts of the Azores, on the side-lines of the international conference “Creative tourism, regenerative development, and destination resilience”.

This is an initiative organized by the Tourism Observatory of the Azores, University of the Azores and Centre for Social Studies of the University of Coimbra together with the Guangzhou International Sister Cities University Alliance (GISU), within the scope of the CREATOUR Azores project.

Berta Cabral highlighted that the Azores are “somewhat removed from the conflict stage, which further protects the region’s tourist destination”, and the archipelago will “continue to work and promote itself”, noting that “differentiation will be always very positive” in 2023.

 

 

 

Azores Situation Report Wednesday 2nd November 2022

From our colleague in the Azores

Covid-19 

In the seven days from Friday 21st of October until Thursday 27th of October there were 55 new positive cases of Covid-19 registered in the Azores, and a total of 1,482 tests performed. 83 people have recovered, and no new deaths have been recorded with the total at 118. There are 109 active cases, 28 fewer than the previous week.

There are 6 patients in the region’s hospitals as of 28th of October with Covid, three of which are in hospital because of Covid. There are no patients in the ICU.

121198 people in the region have had Covid, that’s over 50% of the population.

Privatization of SATA Internacional foreseen in the 2023 Azores Budget 

The privatization of the majority of SATA International’s capital is foreseen in the Azores budget proposal for 2023.

The “divestment of a controlling interest (51%) in Azores Airlines” is foreseen in the restructuring plan for the Azorean airline approved in June by the European Commission.

The Regional Budget for 2023 stipulates that, within the scope of the sale of SATA International, a special committee must be set up to monitor the respective process, which will be extinguished with its expiry, as well as the preparation of a “risk prevention plan”. of corruption”.

Through the legislative decree, the regional government is also “authorized to sell the shareholdings it holds in affiliated entities, with the exception of sectors considered strategic for the Autonomous Region of the Azores and of primary need for the populations”.

Ribeira Quente: 25 years ago, landslides caused the death of 29 people 

It is 25 years since one of the geomorphological instability events that caused the highest number of fatalities and substantial material damage in the Azores.

After a particularly rainy month of October, in the early hours of October 31st, 1997, there was an episode of extremely intense rainfall that, together with strong winds from the southeast quadrant, particularly affected the municipalities of Povoação and Nordeste, Island of São Miguel. Throughout the island, numerous slope movements were triggered, most of which were very fluid detrital drains, the most serious of which occurred in the parish of Ribeira Quente, in the municipality of Povoação, causing the death of 29 people, seven injured and 69 displaced.

Several houses and bridges were partially or totally destroyed, basic infrastructure such as electricity, water supply and telecommunications were interrupted or damaged, and fertile land for various uses was covered by mud. Most of the island’s main roads were affected by landslides, and Ribeira Quente was isolated for more than 12 hours, due to its only access being impassable. Losses of around 21 million euros were estimated.