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Algarve has one of the lowest transmission rates in Portugal

14 Sep 2020, 18:01

The Algarve has one of the lowest transmission rates (Rt) of Covid-19 in all regions of Portugal, despite the increase in new cases in recent days, the president of the Regional Health Administration (ARS) said on 14 September.

At the fortnightly press conference of the District Civil Protection, in Loulé, Paulo Morgado said that the Rt in the Algarve region is 1.07, which means that each infected person infects, on average, 1.07.

"The Algarve Rt is one of the lowest of all the regions on the continent", he stressed, noting that the situation "is relatively under control" in the region, even though there is a daily increase in new cases.

Also the regional health delegate from Faro, Ana Cristina Guerreiro, considered that the situation in the Algarve "is comfortable, given the circumstances", namely the fact that there was a lot of mobility during the summer holidays.

According to her, mobility, activities and family reunions - especially with emigrants or people from other regions - are the factors which have contributed most to the increase in the number of cases.

Currently, the biggest active outbreak in the Algarve is related to the senior football team of the Louletano Desportos Clube, which was detected at the end of August and which has caused a total of 47 cases, among members of the club and family members.

In relation to a review of the number of cases detected during the summer in the Algarve, Ana Cristina Guerreiro said that a "more in-depth technical analysis" was planned, but, nevertheless, in an "initial assessment", the situation "went as well as possible".

"Our cases in July and August were quite under control," she stressed, noting that one of the authorities' concerns was an increase in cases due to possible transmission of the virus on beaches, which did not occur.

For the autumn and winter seasons, ARS/Algarve is preparing a reinforcement of the teams, with the hiring of doctors, nurses, diagnostic technicians and technical and operational assistants.