The management of the Commercial and Industrial Association of Funchal today considered that the resolution requiring the use of masks in Madeira was communicated in a “disastrous” manner, causing tourist losses of over 100 thousand euros in cancellation of reservations.
“This measure has already had consequences and, even admitting that it was understood as preventive, the way it was communicated was disastrous,” António Maria Jardim Fernandes, vice-president of the Madeira Commerce and Industry Association (ACIF), told Lusa. .
The head of this association, which represents various economic sectors in the region, including tourism, hospitality and the like, underlined that, “in essence, a measure has been communicated that has a very large scope and is very restrictive, without immediately communicating the exceptions that there would be and could mitigate the harmful ”effect it had on the sector.
Pronouncing himself on the resolution of the Madeiran executive that extends the state of calamity in the region and determines the mandatory use of masks in public spaces from 00:00 on Saturday, published Thursday, Jardim Fernandes said that this measure is “a little disproportionate and also appears in a timing that is not opportune ”.
Regarding the consequences of the poor communication of this measure abroad for the tourism sector of the archipelago, the official said that ACIF launched a questionnaire with its members on Thursday, “which is not yet concluded and whose totals, at the end of the first day , are not a conclusive sample of companies ”.
“From what has already arrived, we are talking about losses of more than 100 thousand euros of canceled reservations”, he underlined.
Jardim Fernandes mentioned that the measures adopted in Madeira ensure the “strict control of entry” of visitors to the airports in the region and the “great capacity for monitoring after people in the territory, in terms of identifying cases and isolation”, indicate “to the situation of the pandemic is perfectly controlled in Madeira, right now ”.
Therefore, he stressed, “there would be no need to proceed with such a restrictive measure as this one”.
“But, now, the damage is done” and “the problem is that the message went out the wrong way, caused cancellations and some operators expressed their displeasure,” he said.
The official pointed out that this situation “was perfectly unnecessary at a time when the region is at a time when the recovery was much weaker in July than was expected,” he said.
He added that everything “was going well so that, in August, we could take another step forward” in the tourism sector, positioning Madeira as “a safe, resilient destination”, but with this situation “it ended up giving a signal a little contrary to that perspective ”, a situation that worries ACIF and“ creates serious reservations for members ”.
Jardim Fernandes indicated that after the contours of the resolution were known, which determines several exceptions to the mandatory and widespread use of masks in public spaces, such as in nature tourist activities, walks on pedestrian paths, provided there is social distance, “the tourism will end up accommodating ”.
However, “the problem is that the message that went everywhere was simply: ‘Madeira forces the mask abroad’ and those who receive this information think that the situation of the pandemic“ must have worsened a lot in the region to take such action ” .
According to the latest data released Thursday by the regional health authority, Madeira maintains a total of 106 cases of covid-19, with 97 recovered and only nine active, the same reported on Wednesday.
The covid-19 pandemic has already claimed more than 673,000 deaths and infected more than 17.3 million people in 196 countries and territories, according to a report by the French agency AFP.
In Portugal, 1,735 people died from 51,072 confirmed to be infected, according to the most recent bulletin from the Directorate-General for Health.
–
