Azores Situation Report Wednesday 6^th April 2022

From our colleague in the Azores

Covid-19 

In the seven days from Friday 25^th of March until Friday 1^st April there have been 2,603 new positive cases of Covid-19 registered in the Azores, and a total of 8,411 tests performed. Another death was recorded on the island of Terceira.

The archipelago has of today 2,434 active cases and 16 people hospitalized in the three regional hospitals, none in intensive care.

Regarding vaccination, 91.2% of residents in the Azores have been fully vaccinated, and the booster dose exceeds 50%.

São Jorge 

The President of the Azores Regional Civil Protection and Fire Service (SRPCBA) warned today that the reduction in the number of earthquakes recorded in recent days on the island of São Jorge should not lead the population “to think it’s all over”.

According to Eduardo Faria, this could “be a one-off situation” and it is important that “people maintain normalcy, regarding their daily activities”, but they should not “let their guard down, fail to take the measures we are asking for”. Since this “is a situation that can take a day, a week, a month or a year”.

“What is happening now is what we have to be prepared to live for in the near future”, said Eduardo Faria, reminding people that the V4 alert is still active.

According to the most recent data made available by the Centre for Seismo volcanic Information and Surveillance of the Azores (CIVISA), over the course of yesterday, April 3rd, about 389 events were recorded (one felt by the population), which denotes a decreasing trend relatively to the day before. Between 00:00 and 10:00 today, approximately 94 events were recorded.

SRPCBA 

During the month of March, The SRPCBA held a total of 49 awareness-raising actions, under the scope of the ‘Civil Protection Clubs’ project, involving more than 1,800 students of the school community, from primary to secondary school students, including teaching and non-teaching staff.

The promoted actions had the following themes:

Lectures on Natural Risks and Self-Protection Measures

Talks on 112 and the Emergency Operations Centre

First Aid Talks

Basic Life Support talks

First Aid Classes

Basic Life Support Mass Training

 

Azores situation report Wednesday 23^rd 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 12^th March until Friday the 18^th 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.

 

Azores Situation Report Wednesday 16^th 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 26^th 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.

 

 

 

Azores Situation Report – Wednesday 9th March 2022  

From our colleague in the Azores

During the last week up until the 8th of March there were 2,962 new cases of Covid-19 reported.  During the same period, there were 3,951 recoveries.  Sadly, there were also 7 deaths.

Hospitalisations: 

As of today, there are 22 patients hospitalised, 14 of them at the Divino Espírito Santo Hospital on the island of São Miguel (one in intensive care), three at the Horta Hospital on the island of Faial and five at the Santo Espírito Hospital of Terceira Island.

Current situation: 

The archipelago currently registers 2,916 active positive cases: 1,737 on the island of São Miguel, 615 on the island of Terceira, 180 on the island of Faial, 154 on the island of Pico, 129 on the island of São Jorge, 63 on the island of Graciosa, 25 on the island of Flores, 12 on the island of Santa Maria and one on the island of Corvo.

Parliament of the Azores repudiates invasion and defends withdrawal of Russian forces 

The parliament of the Azores unanimously approved a draft resolution repudiating the invasion of Ukraine, calling for the “immediate withdrawal of Russian forces” from that country and expressing the region’s solidarity with the Ukrainians.

Bolieiro appeals to Azoreans to receive Ukrainian refugees 

The President of the Government of the Azores, José Manuel Bolieiro, launched an appeal to Azorean citizens, companies and regional institutions, to support refugees from Ukraine by providing shelter.

“For now, this appeal is made to all Azoreans, families, companies, institutions, who are available to receive families, to communicate with us, to make a reception to the Ukrainian people, suffering in an unjust war”, highlighted the chief executive. Azorean, at the end of an audience granted to a Ukrainian citizen, residing in Portugal, who has a business in the Azores.

Maritime Authority and Navy warn of waves that can reach 10 meters in the Azores 

The National Maritime Authority and the Navy warned of the worsening of the state of the sea in the Azores, this Tuesday, with waves that could reach 10 meters, appealing to the population to redouble care.

“The sea wave will be characterized by a wave coming from the west quadrant, with a significant height that can reach four metres and a maximum height of ten metres, with an average period ranging between nine and 12 seconds. Winds with an average intensity of up to 35 km/hour and gusts of up to 75 km/hour are expected, coming from the west/southwest quadrant,” the authorities said in a press release.

The National Maritime Authority and the Navy appeal to the population to redouble care, “both when preparing to go to sea, and when they are at sea or in coastal areas”.

In this sense, they recommend that fishermen reinforce the mooring and maintain a “close surveillance of the moored and anchored vessels”.

They also recommend that the population avoid “walks by the sea or in areas exposed to maritime agitation” and that recreational fishing activities are not practiced, “especially along the cliffs and cliff areas often hit by the breaking waves”.

The Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) today issued yellow warnings for the western and central groups of the Azores, referring to maritime agitation, precipitation and wind, on Tuesday.