A three-week holiday on the island of São Miguel in the Azores for a Madeiran couple who live in Funchal ended up lasting three months. Finally, having been in the Azores since the 2nd of March, Rafael Santos and Mariana Vieira returned to Madeira on Monday on the first SATA flight to the island since the lockdown began.
The couple told JM that they left Madeira on March 2nd for Ponta Delgada and were scheduled to return on the 24th. However, after two weeks most shops closed and services, including flights to and from Madeira, ceased due to the imposed quarantine. Talking about her holiday, Mariana said that during the first two week of their holiday they explored the island of São Miguel, but after that they remained at home with the friends they were staying with.
The couple both revealed that they were not the only Madeirans stranded in the Azores during the pandemic and that, on the flight, there were other people who had been in the same situation. When asked about the safety measures taken onboard their flight and on arriving in Madeira, the couple said that all the passengers behaved in an exemplary manner and they all completed a Polymerase Chain Reaction Test (PCR) when they arrived at the airport, and theirs was negative.
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com
