The Regional Secretary for Health and Civil Protection, Pedro Ramos, has confirmed that he has not committed himself to making any changes in screening measures at airports in the Region, even when some of the restrictive measures are eased and air mobility is more consistent.
Questioning his reluctance to change anything, Cláudia Perestrelo (PSD Madeira) stated “one day we will reopen and of course there will be an increase in the number of cases, and if this is so, are you going to change anything in terms of strategy or do you think the current conditions of confinement in quarantine hotels will suffice?”
Responding to this, Pedro Ramos stated that any changes made will reflect the current evolution of the pandemic. He went on to confirm that most countries will require PCR tests to be done at origin, and this to is one of the factors to be considered in the operation set up at Madeiran airports. However, he maintained that the greater the number of tourists the greater the number of cases.”
So this begs the question, why not enforce the policy that most other countries are adopting including, Greece, Italy, Dubai and Spain that a PCR test must be taken within 72 hours of travelling. This would certainly ease the financial testing burden in Madeira, and with the use of trained Covid-19 sniffer dogs, Madeira’s cases could stabilise rather than go up, creating safety and security to all those living here.
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly. com
