Coronavirus Update : February 2021

As most of you who know me will know I’m not the kind of person who loves “covid advertising” and the last time I publicly posted about covid was probably mid-2020 but I guess now would be a good time to talk about how things are over here because luckily for us, it seems things are getting better! So in response to some of the queries we’ve been receiving, here is some relevant information about what’s going down here in Madeira.

Firstly, I have noticed a significant drop in new cases which a few weeks back were hitting levels of 130 to 150 new cases per day which are now averaging at 70 to 80 new cases per day. Unfortunately, we have a covid related death almost every day with some days being 2 or 3, much much lower than most places, thankfully. I have also noticed that almost every day we have more recoveries than new infections meaning our total number of cases is declining every day! With a total of somewhere around 1500 active cases, we’re still considered a (covid safe zone) for travellers. If you want to read a more detailed report, check out our friend Tobi’s blog;

https://www.madeiraislandnews.com/2021/02/madeira-registers-59-new-cases-and-67-recovered.html?fbclid=IwAR0T4aQCNxbSPveVuj5_ddGTQlNlDZRd09fDvyyUmFDs7WL3qGt1cigkDi4

I believe this may be the reason for the government prolonging the newly adapted curfews until beginning of April. So up until the 4th of April 2021, there is a night time curfew meaning everybody has to be “at home” by 19h during the week and 18h on the weekends with shops closing at 17h. There’s still food delivery services available for the concerned foodies 😉

And now for the latest breakthrough, the following text was sent to us from the tourism bureau, aka The Association of Promotion of Madeira, written by the head honcho over there, Mr Nuno Vale;

February 17th, 2021

MADEIRA ENCOURAGES TOURISM WITH NEW CONDITIONS OF ACCESS TO A GREEN CORRIDOR

By presenting the vaccination certificate or proof of recovery within 90 days, more tourists are eligible for direct entry, without the need for testing.

The green corridor already existed at Madeira airport for those who arrive with a negative PCR test done within 72 hours. Now Madeira is also receiving tourists vaccinated and recovered from COVID-19 (with proof up to 90 days of validity) who want to enjoy the region.

To do this, Tourists must present the appropriate certificates attesting to their new conditions. The decision represents a vote of confidence in this new phase that the world is going through, in addition to encouraging visits to the island and stimulating economic activity, while maintaining a safe destination.

To be eligible, tourists who fall under these new conditions must prove their status through one of two documents.

1. 1)  Proof of COVID-19 recovery in the last 90 days, validated by the respective country of origin and state the name, date of birth, health number, type and date of the test and the explicit mention “recovered”.
2. 2)  Passport or vaccination certificate validated by the respective country of origin and state the name, date of birth, health number, type of vaccine, date of the two doses taken and respect for the period of immunization according to the instructions for each vaccine.

Any of the above documents in English must be submitted to the app madeirasafe.com before the trip is made.

Passengers recovered from COVID-19 must present a document, valid for 90 days, that proves their recovery. It must specify the type of test, the date of its performance and the word “recovered”. If the document presented indicates that the tourist has recovered for more than 90 days, its holder is subject to normal conditions, retesting at arrival and mandatory confinement pending the result. It should be noted that the tests carried out at the airport and in the registered clinics in mainland Portugal remain free. However, all tourists during their stay must respect the restrictions in force, known as a result of the pandemic, and comply with the Health and Safety rules, which include the mandatory use of a mask, from 6 years old, social distance (2 meters between people and avoid clusters) and frequent hand hygiene.

These new measures of access to the green corridor are due to the entrance of the world in a new cycle of hope, provided by the approved vaccines. The decision reflects not only a vote of confidence in the current situation, but also aims to reopen the destination for tourism and stimulate the regional economy.

(Thanks Nuno.)