We are in the second half of June and we ask: what sort of Algarve is this? “It is a typical Algarve, as it is usually in March”, comments Ana Isa Figueiredo, assistant director of São Rafael Villas, Apartments and Guest House, a tourist resort close to the beach of the same name, in Sesmarias, a few kilometres from Albufeira.
People in several parts of Greater Lisbon will have to go back to staying at home from next week as health authorities deal with a worrying wave of coronavirus on the city’s outskirts, the government announced on Thursday. Those living in the affected areas of the capital - a total of 19 civil parishes that do not include downtown Lisbon - will be allowed to leave home only to buy essential goods such as food or medication, and to travel to and from work.
The British Government is set to roll out a removal of quarantine compliance for people traveling between the United Kingdom and certain countries with a low risk of infection of COVID-19, but the inclusion of Portugal in this list is uncertain, mainly due to a localised outbreak in Lagos, which has already caused 111 infected and may have harmed the image of the Algarve as being a safe destination for travel.
The Algarve is resuming the flow of commercial passenger flights, something that “is a positive sign for the region”. This week, Ryanair resumes flights from Dublin, London Stansted, Manchester, Porto and Brussels to Faro, Transavia reinforced its connections with flights from Rotterdam, Eindhoven, Paris, Montpellier, Lyon and Nantes and Eurowings will have flights from Dusseldorf, Stuttgart, Cologne and Hamburg. From July, Air France connections will fly from Paris, and British Airways and Jet.2com from all its UK bases.
The fire that broke out on Friday afternoon in Aljezur and spread to Lagos and Vila do Bispo was announced as having been put out on Sunday, burning more than 2,000 hectares, but personnel will remain on the ground, said a Civil Protection source.
Fines for those who participate in or organize gatherings of people, more supervised shopping centres, and shops to close at 8 pm in Lisbon and the Tejo Valley region.
The tourism-dependent Algarve region saw its number of unemployed triple in May compared with a year ago as the coronavirus crisis kept foreign visitors away, wiping out thousands of seasonal jobs, data showed this Monday.
Portuguese sport personalities have expressed their support this week for the candidacy of the Algarve International Autodrome (AIA), in Portimão, for a place in the calendar of the Formula 1 World Championship. Renowned footbal coach José Mourinho underlined that “a country with great sportspeople deserves a Formula 1 Grand Prix”, referring to the possibility of Portimão being integrated into the revised F1 calendar this year.
