News from afpop - Friday 20th of January 2023

Good afternoon to you all welcome to this week’s Member Briefing. Last year we carried some information about the use of e-scooters on public roads and I’ve been noticing in the Portuguese media that there are now steps being taken to introduce new rules for these, particularly in Lisbon where apparently there is a real problem with where scooters are being left in the streets and the speeds that they can travel. There is talk of licensing and also insurance, but at the moment it seems that most of the talk is aimed at companies who hire these scooters out, which will of course do nothing to address the issues of privately owned scooters. Of course we’ll keep Members informed of any changes to scooter legislation if this progresses.
 
In the February edition of UPDATE Magazine, which we’re currently in the process of compiling, you’ll see that there is a new service from the consumer watchdog DECO, to help people identify fraudulent websites. You can simply visit their site checker at the following link https://siteseguro.deco.proteste.pt/  and type in the website that you are concerned about and it will tell you whether it is safe or unsafe. You don’t have to be a DECO subscriber to use that service.
 
Now for the Briefing, which does include an update on COVID vaccinations which we only reproduce for Members’ information;
 
TAP strikes announced UPDATE 2401: Strikes have been cancelled
TAP's proposal has been rejected in yesterday’s meeting and the crew member’s strike will go ahead between the 25^th until the 31^st of January, according to the National Union of Civil Aviation Flight Personnel (SNPVAC). With this new strike, 1,316 flights will be cancelled and 156,000 passengers will be affected. TAP is building a contingency plan that allows minimising the inconvenience caused, namely, through the adjustment of the operation, as well as through the flexibility of changing the schedule of trips and refunds of tickets.
TAP recommends that you always check the status of your flight here.

Renewal NON-EU Residência permits
SEF made available, as of yesterday, the Automatic Renewal possibility for the approximately 21,500 residence permits that expire between 1^st of January and 31^st of March 2023. This is for NON-EU Residents with an Autorização de Residência and ONLY for the permits that expire in the above mentioned period.
 
NOTE: This is NOT for UK citizens who are Residents in Portugal under the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement. These Residents still have to follow the process to get the new biometric card through the Brexit SEF Portal.
 
COVID Booster
People over 45 years of age, who are eligible, can now schedule vaccinations on the SNS 24 Portal and choose the day and place to receive the autumn/winter vaccine booster against COVID on the SNS 24 portal. Scheduling can be done through the following electronic address and if you are eligible, you can submit the form:
https://www.sns24.gov.pt/agendamento-de-vacina-covid-19/.
The scheduling must be done at least three days in advance, and an SMS message will be sent with information about the day, time and place of vaccination. Please note: If you already have an appointment, do not fill in the form!
The message must be answered in the exact format it requests, which is "SNS.Your Utente Number.SIM" (so for example SNS.123456789.SIM)  to confirm the proposed time, similarly to what happened in other vaccination phases. You can find more information in our Factsheet FS/26
 
IPMA improved forecasting
The Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) has implemented a new supercomputing system, which will allow for more accurate forecasting in areas such as maritime meteorology. The new High-Resolution Ocean Atmosphere Modelling System will significantly improve the forecast ability for meteorological warnings, forecasts for maritime and aeronautical meteorology, and importantly in fire risk indices as well as in many other sectors. More information is available on their website: https://www.ipma.pt/en/
 
Satellite offices
afpop staff will be on hand in the Satellite Offices again in January 2023. If you need advice or assistance, wish to introduce a new Member to the Association, need to renew your subscription or just have a general query, please pass by and see us. Please contact the afpop office to make an appointment on 282 458 509 or info@afpop.com    
 
The next dates of the Satellites are: