In view of the growth in the number of infected with covid-19 in municipalities in the metropolitan area of Lisbon, the Government decided on special measures for 19 parishes, involving the municipalities of Amadora, Odivelas, Sintra, Loures and Lisbon.
These parishes remain in a calamity situation; in the Metropolitan Area of Lisbon, the state of “low” readiness for contingency status. The rest of the country goes on alert (the “mildest” of those established in the Basic Law of Civil Protection). The mitigation measures will take effect from 1 to 14 July.
The measures for 19 AML parishes are:
• Civic duty of home collection
• Fairs and rising markets are prohibited
• Gatherings limited to 5 people
• Reinforcement of surveillance of mandatory confinements by joint Civil Protection, Social Security and Community Health teams
• Healthy Neighborhoods Program (a nationwide program that will be coordinated by Helena Roseta and which, according to communiqué from the Council of Ministers, “intends to be an instrument of public policy with a view to boosting partnerships and local interventions to promote the health and quality of life of territorial communities, by supporting projects applied for by associations, collectives, non-governmental organizations, civic movements and residents’ organizations, in collaboration with local authorities and health authorities “).
What are the 19 parishes?
The total number of parishes in the municipality of Amadora: Alfragide, Águas Livres, Falagueira-Venda Nova, Encosta do Sol, Venteira and Water Mine.
The total number of parishes in Odivelas: Odivelas, Pontinha-Famões, Póvoa de Santo Adrião-Olival de Basto and Ramada-Caneças.
Six of the 11 parishes in Sintra: Agualva-Mira Sintra, Algueirão-Mem Martins, Cacém-S. Marcos, Massamá-Monte Abraão, Queluz-Belas and Rio de Mouro.
Two of the ten parishes in Loures: Camarate-Unhos-Apelação and Sacavém-Prior Velho.
One of the 24 parishes of Lisboa: Santa Clara.
These measures are in addition to those approved for the rest of the Metropolitan Area (who “went down” from calamity to contingency).
• Closing of commercial establishments at 8 pm (except: catering for meal and take-away services; super and hypermarkets (until 10 pm); fuel supply; clinics, offices and veterinarians; pharmacies; funeral homes; sports equipment
• Prohibition on selling alcohol at service stations
• Town halls limited to ten people.
In the set of Continental portugal (which will pass from the calamity situation to the alert situation) rules will be as follows:
• Mandatory confinement for patients and persons under active surveillance
• Rules on physical distance, mask use, capacity, schedules and hygiene are maintained
• Town halls limited to 20 people
• Prohibition of alcohol consumption on public roads.
• Offenses of 100 to 500 euros (natural persons) and from 1,000 to 5,000 euros (legal persons).
“From alertness, we will not be safely released until the end of the pandemic.”
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At the press conference after the Council of Ministers, the head of the Government considered that “the situations of transmissibility are at an expected and controllable level throughout the national territory”. However, he left a warning: “We will not be able to leave the state of alert until the end of the pandemic.”
António Costa stressed that the number of recovered people has been evolving positively; the response capacity of the NHS during hospitalization and testing has been positive; and conditions have thus been created so that in most parts of the country it can move from a calamity situation to an alert situation.
“You are not doing tests to look good in international photography. If there are more cases, there are more cases.”
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However, “it is evident that it is not the tests that create cases, but it is also evident that if I do not test, I have no cases”. Costa stressed “total transparency regarding the data”, also saying that “one is not doing tests to look good in international photography”: “If there are more cases, there are more cases.”
“If there is going to be a next wave only the next few days will tell you, we already know that the numbers vary and that on Mondays the numbers are lower, and that on Tuesday there is always more reporting.”
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The prime minister defended, however, that the EU should standardize criteria, saying that “it is obvious that the probability of having more positive cases when we do 108,000 tests is greater than if we only did 20,000”. And “the biggest proof that we are not devaluing the problem is the fact that we are increasing the tests”.
“The ignorance of the virus is still very great, there is a kind of laboratory in real time, and there are always divergent, contradictory opinions, things that are said one day and the next week is the reverse.”
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Regarding Wednesday’s meeting at Infarmed, he said he had “no remedies” to make to the synthesis made by the President of the Republic. “If there is going to be a next wave, only the next few days will tell you, we already know that the numbers vary and that on Mondays the numbers are lower, and that on Tuesday there is always more reporting,” he said. “We have to look at the numbers by the week,” he says, stressing that isolated outbreaks must be distinguished from “new waves”.
Besides – he said, still talking about the Infarmed meeting – “the ignorance of the virus is still very great, there is a kind of laboratory in real time, and there are always divergent, contradictory opinions, things that are said in a day and a week next is the reverse “. And “we cannot demand more from scientists than they have to give” even though it implies some “frustration”.
“We have adopted measures that allow us to intervene, and it is difficult to intervene at home.”
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The Prime Minister acknowledged, on the other hand, that he did not have a clear answer from experts about the higher number of infected people in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area. What they say, generically, is that the main sources of transmission are cohabitation and work. “We have adopted measures that allow us to intervene, and it is difficult to intervene at home”, he says – stressing however that there has been resettlement of infected people.
As for public transport, he stated that CP has already restored its full supply capacity at AML. And on the next day, 90% of the road transport offer will be replenished. But the Supplementary Budget will reinforce the funds.
“We are not working for international photography, we are working to control a public health situation.”
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As for the Metropolitan Area of Lisbon, he says it is necessary to understand whether we “uncovered” a situation that was hidden because the authorities were more focused on other regions of the country or if there is a new reality. “We are not working for international photography, we are working to control a public health situation,” he insisted.
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