José Carlos Rolo, Mayor of Albufeira, has demanded a review of the criteria for calculating the COVID-19 incidence, causing Albufeira to retreat in to the previous phase of confinement.
Following the government's recent decision of 17th June, "it is with deep sadness that Albufeira considers itself discriminated against by the criteria of a government that once again does not consider the current reality of region, especially in a municipality that depends so much on tourism".
The Mayor considers that the calculation per 100,000 inhabitants "is totally unfair for the municipality of Albufeira, taking into account that the number of residents that is used by the government is not adequate and should not be applied, as tourists are not considered as a population. but if a positive case occurs, it is included in the counts!"
“This artificially inflates a ratio that is so important for deciding our immediate future. This fact was addressed by me in one of the face-to-face conversations I had with the secretary of State for Tourism Rita Marques, as well as with the president of the Algarve Tourism Region João Fernandes and other regional authorities, in order to resolve the situation that is very damaging our region", wrote José Carlos Rolo in a statement sent to the newsrooms.
At the moment, "about twice as many residents may be in the municipality of Albufeira, who should be included in the DGS criteria. Therefore, the figures mentioned, at this moment, show that the county has a much higher number of residents/tourists than the number considered for the purpose of calculating the COVID-19 incidence".
"To better see the incongruity, we highlight the values collected by the municipality, namely the 30% increase in waste collection compared to May, the huge increase in water consumption and the large increase in the number of requests for services to Rádio Táxi de Albufeira", reads the statement.
The Municipal Council of Albufeira "requires a review of these criteria and points out that this evaluation applied by the government will generate a massive slowdown of the regional and local economy and will have serious consequences for the Algarve in general and the municipality of Albufeira, in particular".
The government “has to be diligent and take into account the specificities of the Algarve and the Algarve. It should be noted that at the Albufeira Testing Center, only about 25% of positive cases are identified, and this equipment is simultaneously testing the resident population and the tourists who visit us. We believe that this is an asset for the municipality, as tourists must take a certified test to return to their countries of origin and there is no response capacity for this at the private level".
Finally, José Carlos Rolo requests that "all merchants and the population in general are to strictly comply with the rules of the DGS, as well as the guidelines and advice determined by the Municipality of Albufeira, so that in a future assessment we can progress".
See original article in Barlavento
