News from afpop - Friday 9th of December 2022

Good afternoon my friends and welcome to this week’s, much shorter, Member Briefing. I must confess that I did harbour some thoughts as we approached winter that governments might start to reintroduce some of the measures from last year, certainly regarding mask wearing and numbers of people in gatherings and shops, but so far there is no indication that such measures will be reintroduced or are even being considered.
 
There is however some unusual news, in that the Orçamento do Estado, (State Budget) has been approved before the end of the year. Members who have been here for a few years will know that this is not the norm and that discussions and voting usually go on into the following year, but this year it is already agreed and has been announced. There are some changes of course and although we are not financial advisors, we will have an overview of the changes in the February edition of UPDATE magazine.
 
AT e-mails
The Autoridade Tributária e Aduaneira (Finance office) has been sending out wrong e-mails. On this occasion it isn’t a warning of ‘spam’ e-mails, but due to an anomaly in their computer system, informational e-mails relating to 2018 were sent to some taxpayers. If you have received one of these emails, please make sure to check with the Finanças if the content of the e-mail is still relevant.
 
Public Services Açores
The Government of the Açores has decided to grant a one-off period to workers in the regional public administration on 26th of December and 2nd of January and you will find the public services closed on those days.
 
Events in Algarve
Our friends from the Algarve Tourism Board have a new website launched, and if you are making plans for Christmas, don’t forget to have a look here:
https://eventos.visitalgarve.pt/en/
 
Health Centres extended hours
A reminder that in an effort to respond to greater demand in the winter months and to reduce the impact on the emergency services in non-emergency situations, 176 health centres are operating with extended opening hours (weekdays) or complementary opening hours (weekends and holidays), providing a response close to the community in non-emergency health situations. 
 
You can find the locations and opening hours in these links: 

For better service and advice, it is advisable to call SNS 24 first (808 24 24 24), for screening and appropriate referral of each situation, for a faster response and also to help the SNS provide the best service to patients.

IPMA weather forecast and warnings
In the summer months we advise Members of the IPMA (Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera) website, that gives information about fires, air quality etc. Members will surely have been witnessing the recent heavy rains and may also have seen the reports of some flooding in various towns. If you are travelling, whether by road or rail it is a good idea to keep an eye on the weather and any amber warnings from the same source. You can find information on their website https://www.ipma.pt/pt/index.html
 
Satellite offices
Please note that due to the Christmas holidays, there will be no Satellite Offices in December. 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: