Covid-19: Braga on high alert

The news fell like a bomb with the Braga community. Marta Temido, Minister of Health, had just announced in a press conference that a building at the University of Minho (UMinho) would have to be closed, in a “proactive response” to Covid-19, the new coronavirus.

The rectory met emergency and decided to take proactivity to another level, not only closing the building of Social Sciences, as decreed the minister, but suspending all classes on the campus of Gualtar, closing libraries and cafeterias and prohibiting any type of event on the premises of Gualtar.

UMinho student infected with Covid-19. Suspended classes and services closed in Braga

The measure comes after a young 19-year-old student attending the History course has been confirmed [em análise e contra-análise] as one of 21 cases [agora 25] coronavirus positive results in Portugal.

Born in Felgueiras, the student will have contracted the virus through his uncle, a businessman with a factory in Lousada, who contracted the virus in Italy and who has already infected nine people directly and another indirectly, confirming the first “outbreak” and Contagion “transmission chain” in the country.

According to DGS data, there are two victims who were infected by someone who was not abroad, advancing another stage in the transmission chain.

Although this was not the case for the student, UMinho asks anyone who has come from countries with confirmed cases of Covid-19 to submit, voluntarily, to a quarantine period of 14 days after arriving in the country, in order to avoid new outbreaks, such as that of Lousada / Felgueiras.

European Veterans Athletics Cancellation

It was not only UMinho that took preventive measures. The Braga Chamber, in partnership with the World Athletics Federation, decided to suspend the European Athletics Championship for veterans, which would bring together more than a thousand athletes from 51 countries in the Altice Forum.

The decision came after a unanimous opinion from a meeting of the municipal Civil Protection Commission, mentioning “suspension of public events or initiatives, carried out either indoors or in places open to the public”.

According to a statement from the Braga Chamber, this suspension comes [a competição] to be indoors, to accommodate more than 3,200 people, coming from various countries, some with a “strong incidence of Covid-19”, many of them with a particularly high average age, being, therefore, a “risk group”.

Coronavirus forces postponement of European Athletics Championships in Braga

Given the impossibility of ensuring the safety and health of the participants, organization, judges and volunteers, but also of the city itself and its inhabitants, the decision was to postpone the event to January 2021.

However, the municipality said that this measure should not “be generalized in view of other events of different types taking place in the municipality of Braga”, as is the case of Semana Santa, which, until this Sunday, has not yet been canceled.

Holy week canceled?

Ricardo Rio says no. Although it is one of the moments where there is a greater number of people in the city of Braga [dezenas de milhares], especially from Spain and Italy, the mayor told O MINHO, last Thursday, that, as they are street activities, “there is, in principle, no danger”.

He added that “there is no guidance from the health authorities in the sense of not holding this Holy Week, so it will continue”, organized by the Archdiocese of Braga.

Prime Minister guarantees that Portugal is prepared to respond to the outbreak

However, and after the news this Saturday night, there may be some change in plans over the next month, if the virus spreads more intensely in the region.

Hospitals, homes and prisons closed for visits

Covid-19: Visits to hospitals and homes in the north of the country suspended

Another measure that is affecting the Minho region is the suspension of visits to homes, hospitals and prisons, as announced by the Minister of Health, on Saturday night.

Reduction of emergency services in Braga

Over the past week, several fire brigades have noticed a decrease in the number of urgent patient transport services to Braga Hospital.

Covid-19: Marcelo praises “mature” way the Portuguese have reacted

The emergency service, which is usually crowded, has had fewer and fewer users. It is not known if it is a reflection of fear in relation to Covid-19, but it may have influence, as O MINHO hospital source said.

In the last week, the first users with suspected Covid-19 to be referred to the Braga Hospital were registered. As far as we know, there are positive results and infected people.

It is not known, for now, how many they are and where they are from, but there is a strong possibility that they are the first two users, coming from Viana do Castelo.

25 cases, 19 in the North

The number of confirmed cases of the new coronavirus in Portugal rose to 25 today. The four new cases emerged in Porto and were in contact with the infected person who was at a shoe fair in Milan.

The North region has the most confirmed cases of infection, with 19, followed by Greater Lisbon, with five, and one in the Center of the country.

Health authorities have 412 people under surveillance for contact with infected people.

* With Luís Moreira, Paulo Jorge Magalhães and Lusa

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