News from afpop - Friday 1st of September 2023

Good afternoon to you all and I hope that you haven’t suffered too much in the high temperatures of the last couple of weeks. I was in England so I had no such dilemma.
 
As longer standing Members will remember, these Briefings began in 2020 as a way to keep you updated with the rapidly changing COVID situation and I hope you won’t be alarmed to see that it’s reared its ugly head again this week. However, it’s only to advise about the flu and COVID vaccines that are available. I wanted to mention here that we recognise of course that there are several views about COVID and vaccinations and some Members in the past were unhappy that they thought we were “supporting the COVID propaganda”. The purpose of these Briefings was, and still is, simply to bring information to those people who want it and not to suggest that anyone should do one thing or the other. There are those who do want to be vaccinated and need the information about them.
 
There is however some potentially good news in this Briefing about passport control, which is still a bone of contention for non-EU residents in Portugal, although the e-gates weren’t even working in Faro when I came through last week. However, this is potentially good news for non-EU citizens who are resident in Portugal.
 
So here is this week’s information for you;
 
Doctors strike
The Sindicato Independente dos Médicos, have announced that doctors in the public sector of the Mainland, Azores and Madeira will continue strikes in September. You will find the locations and dates here (updated link):
https://www.simedicos.pt/pt/noticias/5287/mapa-greves-verao-2023-em-curso-e-a-ocorrer/
Emergency Service will still be available. If you have anything scheduled for these days, please confirm with your specialist.
 
COVID and flu vaccinations
Despite the World Health Organization (WHO) having declared the end of the COVID pandemic on the 5^th of May 2023, the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) maintains the indication for seasonal vaccination against COVID.
Community pharmacies will be able to administer the COVID vaccine simultaneously with the flu vaccine, during the Autumn-Winter 2023 Seasonal Vaccination Campaign that will begin in the second half of September. The pharmacists will now have access to the vaccination history of flu and COVID of the people to be vaccinated in the community pharmacy. Vaccination against seasonal flu will become free for people aged 60 or over in the 2023/24 season, as well as for other priority groups that will be defined by the Directorate-General for Health. Eligible citizens will not need a prescription.
More information on how to adhere to the flu and COVID vaccination and on participating pharmacies will be released soon and we will inform Members if we have more information in our Briefings. 
 
Passport control at airports
SEF has announced that it is now possible for non-EU citizens from certain countries to use the electronic gates at Portuguese airports. If you are a national of Australia, New Zealand, Japan, the United Kingdom, Singapore, the United States of America or Canada and are planning to travel to Portugal, you should be able to use e-gates.
 
As we have suggested in the past, Members who are from non-EU countries and resident in Portugal should avoid using the e-gates, as they automatically register the person on the EU system, which means that whilst they are not physically stamped, their passports are recorded electronically in the Portuguese entry system, potentially affecting their travel to other EU countries in the 90/180 day rules. The e-gates have the facility to introduce either your Cartão Cidadão (Portuguese Citizen’s Card) or your passport, but please remember that a residency card is NOT a Cartão Cidadão.
 
Passports are not physically stamped for residents, so make sure that you have your residency card to show the border control staff if requested.
 
SEF has created an explanatory video to explain the procedure step by step: https://fb.watch/mMsm0dTL7V/
  
If any Member from one of those countries does use the e-gate system, we would be pleased to hear about your experience and whether the gate accepted your Residência card.
 
New airline connections
Azores Airlines will connect Ponta Delgada to Faro from from the 2^nd of June 2024.
The flight time is approximately two and a half hours and will fly twice a week.

Ryanair will have flights between Faro and Copenhagen from October, also twice a week
 
Speed Radars
Portuguese roads will have 37 new radars as of 1^st of September, 12 of which will monitor the average speed between two points. You can find maps of the locations per district on the following website of the ANSR: https://bit.ly/3YA0jV3 or a Map of the whole country here (scroll down): radaresavista.pt
 
Tax on aluminium packaging
The Government once again postponed the application of the tax on single-use aluminum packaging for take-away meals and it will now come into force on 1^st of January 2024.
 
Blevins Franks seminars
We would like to inform Members about Blevins Franks seminars, “Your Financial Journey in Portugal”, that will take place on: 

For further information, please directly contact (+351) 289 350 150 or email portugal@blevinsfranks.com
 
Living in the Algarve seminar
We will be joining the Open Media group once again at their ‘Living in the Algarve’ seminar on the 21^st of September at Conrad Algarve Hotel – Quinta do Lago.  
There is either a morning or afternoon session, where you can hear the presentations and speak with experts in person if you have any questions.
The seminar will also include coffee breaks and wine tastings, so join and meet people from around the world who are interested in moving to Portugal!
Save your FREE seats here: www.livinginthealgarve.pt
 
Satellite Offices
afpop staff will be on hand in the Satellite Offices again in September 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 (please note the change in Lagos, from now on it will be on the last Wednesday of the month):