As of today, Madeira moved into the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) green (low risk) category. Mainland Portugal and the Azores are considered to be at ‘moderate risk’ (orange).
The green category is the safest of the epidemiological situation of the ECDC map, which combines the notification rates of Covid-19 cases in the last 14 days, the number of tests performed and the total number of positive cases. The results are updated every Thursday.
In today’s update, the Madeira archipelago registered an improvement, as it is now considered to be low risk, which refers to territories with less than 50 new cases and a positivity rate of less than 4%, or less than 75 cases, but with positivity rate of less than 1%.
Mainland Portugal and the Azores are considered at moderate risk (orange), referring to places where the notification rate of new infections is 50 to 75 per 100,000 inhabitants in the last 14 days and the test positivity rate is 1 % or between 75 and 200 newly infected per 100,000 population, and test positivity rate of 4% or more.
Last February, due to the high number of infections with the SARS-CoV-2, Portugal was even in the dark red category of ECDC maps, used for areas and countries deemed to be at ‘extremely high risk.’
These maps from the European Agency follow a system of traffic lights, starting with green (favorable situation), passing through orange, red and dark red (very dangerous situation), and serve as an aid to EU Member States on what travel restrictions need to be applied within the community.
In mid-June, the EU Council adopted a recommendation for a coordinated approach to travel, proposing that vaccinated and recovered from covid-19 should not be subjected to restrictive measures such as quarantine or testing.
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com
