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Portugal´s only registered non-profit crime prevention and civil protection association providing dedicated information and support services to the community
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Newsletter - December 21st 2020 |
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Good morning and Welcome to this newsletter,
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Much is happening between now and Christmas, with the new State of Emergency law coming into effect and, of course, the special measures that will take place over the Christmas and New Year periods.
Last night Portugal imposed various restrictions on non-residents from the UK entering Portugal due to the situation in the UK. Those entering Portugal from UK must have a negative test result. The UK have now issued updated Travel advice to Portugal here.
Please see the report in this newsletter.
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David Thomas
President
Safe Communities Portugal
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In addition, the new lists of municipalities within the four risk groups comes into effect just after midnight on 24th December (meaning 00:01 hrs 24th) until 23:59 hours on the 7th January 2021.
We have found on Facebook that some people have wrongly gained the impression that the new lists are already in place. This is not the case and, for example, Loulé is currently, at the time of publication, at Moderate risk and will only move to High risk on 24th December, as stated.
Christmas and New Year Periods
Just a reminder of the arrangements now in place for these two periods, noting the changes for the New Year Period. Please see the details below.
A Reminder - Social distancing, hygiene and the wearing of face masks are the best ways to prevent the spread of the disease.
If you know others who would like to obtain our newsletter free of charge click here.
Lastly we thank all our sponsors (listed at the end of this newsletter) who help keep Safe Communities going and developing.
Have a Very Happy and Safe Christmas and New Year
David Thomas
President Safe communities Portugal
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Christmas and New Year arrangements
Following the renewal of the State of Emergency decreed by the President of the Republic, the Council of Ministers approved the decree that regulates the measures to be adopted, throughout the continental territory, in the period between 00:01 hrs on December 24th, 2020 and 23:59 hrs on January 7th 2021.
As previously announced, the Government, meeting in the Council of Ministers on December 17, re-evaluated the epidemiological situation of each municipality, updated the list of risky municipalities, maintained the rules previously defined for the Christmas period and proceeded with the aggravation of the measures for the New Year period. Thus, it was decided:
Maintain the current rules in force, as well as scaling their application according to the risk of transmission of Covid-19 in each municipality - moderate, high, very high and extreme.
Update the list of risky councils and their distribution by different levels. (You can see the full list here.)
For the Christmas period:
Circulation between municipalities is allowed.
Circulation on public roads:
- Night from 23rd to 24th: allowed only for those who are traveling;
- Days 24th and 25th: allowed until 02h00 of the following day;
- Day 26: allowed until 23h00.
Opening hours:
- On the 24th and 25th nights, restaurant operation is allowed until 1 am.
- On the 26th, restaurant operation is allowed until 3:30 pm in municipalities with very high and extreme risk.
- On the 24th and 25th, the closing hours do not apply to cultural establishments.
For the New Year period:
Circulation between municipalities Prohibited between 00:01 on 31st December and 05:00 on 4th January.
Circulation on public road:
For the entire continental territory:
- On 31st December , prohibited from 23:00;
- On days 1st, 2nd and 3rd January, prohibited from 13:00.
Opening hours throughout the continental territory:
- On 31st December, restaurant operation is allowed until 10:30 pm.
- On days 1st, 2nd and 3rd January, restaurant operation is allowed until 1 pm, except for home deliveries.
Public parties are prohibited or open to the public.
Prohibit gatherings on the public road with more than 6 people.
The Government also reinforces the call to avoid:
- Gather a lot of people;
- Being without a mask for a long time;
- Closed, small and poorly ventilated spaces.
For the up to date complete measures for the difference municipality risk groups in English please download here. These will be updated on 23rd to incorporate the new law from 24th December to 7th January.
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Festive gatherings
The Deputy Director-General of Health, Rui Portugal, presented this Tuesday a set of recommendations for the festive season, stressing that it is important to plan the events.
At the press conference to update data on the Covid-19 pandemic, which took place at the Directorate-General for Health, the official left a message to the Portuguese with the main measures to reduce the risk of contagion by the new coronavirus:
- Comply with all the rules in force in your municipality, regarding mobility and the gathering of people;
- Whoever is sick, with symptoms or in prophylactic isolation, must comply with what the health authorities have determined;
- Reduce contacts before and during this season;
- Reduce exposure time at all times and, if possible, use outdoor spaces;
- Do not change households during the festive season;
- Limit the celebrations of the household with whom you live, maintaining contact with other members or groups by digital means or phone calls;
- Maintain physical distance at all times: transportation, meal preparation, meetings, etc. Avoid traditional greetings;
- Ensure the aeration of spaces and disinfection of surfaces, as well as objects of common sharing;
- Wash or disinfect your hands frequently, wear the mask properly and maintain a respiratory label;
- Avoid sharing objects.
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Situation in Portugal regarding new strain of the disease in the UK
In Portugal, the new strain of SARS-CoV-2 that appeared in the United Kingdom has not been identified so far, which the British authorities say is “more easily transmissible”, said an official source today.
"The National Institute of Health Doutor Ricardo Jorge (INSA) has been developing, since last April, a nationwide study on the genetic variability of SARS-CoV-2 in Portugal, through the analysis of the genome of this new coronavirus According to the results obtained so far, "the new genetic variant detected circulating in a region of the United Kingdom has not yet been identified in Portugal," a source from the INSA press office told Lusa.
Speaking to Lusa, a source at the INSA press office, recalled that the "study aims to determine the mutational profiles of SARS-CoV-2 for the identification and monitoring of transmission chains of the new coronavirus, as well as the identification of new introductions of the virus in Portugal ".
British authorities have alerted the World Health Organization (WHO) to the discovery of the new variant of SARS-CoV-2, which is more easily transmissible, although there is no evidence that it is more lethal or that it could impact the effectiveness of developed vaccines.
The United Kingdom is on the list of the 10 countries most affected by the pandemic, with more than two million cases of infection and 67,075 deaths.
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Situation re travel restrictions from UK
A source from the office of the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced today that Portugal is following the evolution of the epidemiological situation in the United Kingdom "with attention" and is privileging "close cooperation" between the health authorities of the two countries.
The Portuguese government announced on Sunday night that it will require tests on the entry of all those who come from the United Kingdom, similar to what it does with those returning from the USA, adding the ban on entry of all non-residents or non-Portuguese. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, "following the evolution of the epidemiological situation in the United Kingdom", the Government has determined several measures to take effect at midnight on Monday.
These are the new measures according to the MAI are summarised as follows and the full Order published by the Portuguese Government this morning 21st December can be downloaded in informal English here,
- "Only passengers on flights from the United Kingdom who are nationals or citizens legally resident in Portugal are allowed to enter Portugal;
- "These passengers must present, upon arrival in Portugal, proof of laboratory tests to screen for SARS-CoV-2 infection, with a negative result;
- "Citizens who do not have proof of having performed a laboratory test with a negative result are referred by the competent authorities, upon arrival in national territory, to carry out the said test inside the airport, through qualified health professionals for the purpose;
- "In this case, citizens will have to remain in isolation, under the terms defined by health authorities."
IMPORTANT NOTE: The official UK Travel Advice to Portugal by Gov.UK took effect from midnight last night and can be downloaded here
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Other countries
The Netherlands, Germany, Luxemburg, Belgium France, Latvia among others have already has already suspended or banded air links with the United Kingdom, whilst Czech Republic has imposed a quarantine and it is reported in the media that other European countries are about to or considering similar action.
The EU will meet on Monday morning (today) to consider a more coordinated approach.
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Latest Covid-19 Statistics – Reported 20th December
This Sunday Portugal records 71 more deaths related to Covid-19 and 3,334 new cases of infection with the new coronavirus, according to the bulletin Directorate-General for Health (DGS).
The bulletin also reveals that 2,419 cases were reported to have been recovered. Since the beginning of the epidemic in Portugal, in March, 297,233 people have recovered.
Taking into account new cases, deaths and recoveries there are a further 844 active cases now bringing the total to 70,754.
As for hospital admissions, the DGS epidemiological bulletin reveals that 3,027 patients are hospitalized, 54 more patients compared to Saturday, of whom 483 were in intensive care, 2 less.
Health authorities have 82,591 contacts under surveillance, 3,088 more than yesterday.
Regarding the 71 deaths recorded in the last 24 hours, the bulletin reveals that 25 occurred in the North region, 22 in the Lisbon and Tagus Valley region, 21 in the Centre, two in the Alentejo, one in the Algarve and the Autonomous Regions of Madeira and the Azores they had no deaths.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, Portugal has registered 6,134 deaths and 374,121 cases of infection by the SARS-CoV-2 virus
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SEF's new Brexit Portal and British Embassy Lisbon joint campaign on exchanging residence documents
The British Embassy have asked Safe Communities to share the following
SEF has officially launched their Brexit Portal, where UK nationals resident in Portugal can start the process of exchanging their current EU residence documents for new ones that explicitly state they are under the Withdrawal Agreement.
The Portal – that can be accessed here will be open until June 2021, so UK nationals do not need to take action before the end of the year. Current EU documents will continue to be accepted in Portugal after the end of the transition period and until the new card arrives.
There are a few details that may be important to highlight:
- You need to be registered with your town hall or with SEF to be able to make the exchange;
- Please make sure your passport is valid at the time you are applying for the exchange;
- Once you register, please make sure you download the certificate (with the QR code) and authenticate it by reading the QR code or by inserting the full code manually (the instructions are on the bottom of the certificate).
- You can use the certificate when travelling as proof you are resident in Portugal.
- The card will be biometric and follows an EU-wide design (so it can be recognised by any European border service).
- Appointments to provide biometric data will only be scheduled from 1 January. After the New Year, SEF will notify by email those registered, asking to schedule an appointment.
- The appointments will be at selected town halls around continental Portugal, Madeira and the Azores. The list of which town halls provide this service will be available after the New Year.
- There is general guidance on the Portal and a step-by-step video that can help applicants navigate the process.
Non-EU family members of UK nationals will also be entitled to receive a residence document which states they are beneficiaries of the Withdrawal Agreement.
This process will not open until 2021. Information is not yet available on the process they will need to follow. In the meantime, their current residence documents will continue to be accepted after the end of the transition period.
SEF has also announced their new dedicated Brexit telephone line (+351 21 711 50 45) and e-mail address (brexit@sef.pt) that UK nationals in Portugal should use if they have any questions related to residence and this process of exchanging documents. These lines are open every working day from 8am to 8 pm and are staffed by English-speakers.
The British Embassy and SEF have also launched a joint public campaign, informing UK nationals about this process. This will be a fully digital campaign focused on social media. We have shared the step-by-step video on our Brits in Portugal Facebook page and Twitter.
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A Reminder - Social distancing, hygiene and the wearing of face masks are the best ways to prevent the spread of the disease.
If you know others who would like to obtain our newsletter free of charge click here
Lastly we thank all our sponsors (listed at the end of this newsletter) who help keep Safe Communities going and developing.
David Thomas
President
Safe Communities Portugal
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Volunteers needed to help our team with Covid-19
Monitor the news in Portugal and give us reports. Would you like to help us?
SCP can only publish correct and confirmed information. This means that we have great demands on both our sources and our volunteers.
Lastly we are looking for volunteers who have experience in either analysis or research type work who are used to valuing news and facts, to supplement our team during this period of crisis.
Precisely we need help in supplementing our team providing short daily situation reports for events happening in Portugal
You must also be able to write good English. If you feel you are the right person and want to contribute under Covid-19, send us a message here please with a brief description of your experience.
Together we can help keep the community in Portugal up to date!
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IF YOU ARE PLEASED WITH OUR SERVICES PLEASE MAKE A DONATION
During the coronavirus our team of volunteers have worked 7 days a week to provide you with the best news and advice.
We do not receive or expect payment of these services as that is the nature of our work as a non-profit volunteer association
However we have incurred extra costs through upgrades to website, translation work, printing and administrative costs for example.
Your generosity by making a donation to help maintain and further develop the work of the association and thereby help keep Portugal a safe place to live and visit would be appreciated. Any amount helps.
Three ways to make a donation Please visit our donation page here with all the details and how money is spent
Paypal - If you would like to make a donation through Paypal please visit our donation page and click on the "Paypal donate" button.
By cheque - If you wish to donate by cheque the bank account name is "Associacao SCP Safe Communities Portugal" and cheques can be posted to Caixa 207-Z, Alfontes, Boliqueime, 8100-062, Algarve.
By interbank transfer - If you wish to donate through inter- bank transfer please use the same name with the following account details NIB 0033 0000 4542 9864 44705.
All donations should be marked "Donation for crime prevention". Thank you.
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How your friends can obtain up to date Crime Prevention advice
Please pass on details of Safe Communities Portugal to neighbours and friends so they to can benefit from the up to date crime prevention advice. Simply ask them to click on this link to obtain the latest newsletter: This is a free service.
David Thomas
President
Safe Communities Portugal
21st Dcember 2020
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Thank you to all of our sponsors: |
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