«We want an Algarve Covid Free», announced António Miguel Pina, mayor of Olhão and the Intermunicipal Community of the Algarve (AMAL), at today's weekly press conference at the headquarters of the Regional Emergency and Civil Protection Command of the Algarve, in Loulé .
Because, he argued, «it is necessary to build the idea that the Algarve continues to be a safe destination», that «it is safe to come and spend holidays in the Algarve, albeit with constraints» because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Asked by journalists about how he sees the progressive “disconfinement” that is being prepared, the mayor admitted that it is a “very difficult balance” between the measures that will need to be maintained and those that will have to be relieved, in order not to kill the region's economy.
The AMAL president recalled that «the epidemiological situation in the Algarve is different from that of the rest of the country», therefore, in his opinion, «there may be rules in the Algarve that are different from those in the rest of the country».
Previously, Paulo Morgado, president of the Algarve Regional Health Administration (ARS), also present at the press conference, had already warned that «the future will not be the same as the past, either in society or in our health services».
"The disease will not disappear anytime soon, it will stay with us for many months, until a cure, an effective treatment or a vaccine is found", said the official.
António Pina, who is also chairman of the District Civil Protection Commission, admitted that the reopening of the economy and other activities “will be gradual and closely monitored, in order to understand the evolution” of the pandemic.
In terms of tourists, the mayor believes that, this summer, the Algarve will have to operate mainly with "nationals", all the more so because the reopening of land and air borders "will be done gradually".
«The Algarve will try to create rules of good practice» to be implemented in public spaces, beaches, restaurants and hotels. The idea is to "go building solutions" that involve "mayors, hoteliers, health, civil protection."
But, and if there is a new increase in cases, will Health be able to respond afterwards? António Pina considered that «health is now well prepared, it has routine procedures, it has become better equipped and will continue to do so, today the disease is better known».
Ana Cristina Guerreiro, Regional Health Delegate, was not so optimistic: “the beach, allowing people to get closer, is a place where you can transmit Covid”, she stressed. Therefore, he defended, it is necessary to "manage to maintain social distance on the beaches", so there will have to be "delimited areas on the sand, so that people are not on top of each other".
The concrete measures, stressed the official, have already started to be discussed, namely at the recent meeting of the Technical Commission for Monitoring of Bathing Waters, which is preparing a Manual of Good Practices, to be ready by 6 May.
Among the issues of Ana Cristina Guerreiro, as the Regional Health Authority, wants to be defined, is also the «access to bars and restaurants on the beach and surrounding areas», «access to sanitary facilities on the beaches», «quality surveillance of the bathing waters', including inland waters, which will have to be 'tighter'.
This summer, he warned, "there cannot be crowds on the accesses to the beaches", there will have to be "rules to circulate on the crosswalks" and "for equipment, such as boats, buoys and pedal boats".
But António Pina, president of AMAL, underlined that “the problem goes far beyond the beaches. And the small festivals? The big festivals? And the village dancer? The bars and clubs?».
"We want to open as much as possible, but as much as possible in safety", stressed the mayor. «The Algarve has conditions to have different rules from the rest of the country», he repeated.
What if things go wrong and Covid-19 cases start to increase in the Algarve? «If something starts to go less well, you can always take a step back», concluded António Pina.
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