The Original Madeira Island News Blog
Admin 
Thanks to Maurice Reed for a link to an article in Telegraph Gardening reporting that “Horticulturalists are flocking to Madeira – so what’s its secret?” A lot of readers do not have a subscription to the Telegraph, so I have replicated it here:
Madeira may have a sedate reputation, ............
The Portugal News reports that as elections near, the distance between the socialists (PS) and social democrats (PSD) had been shortening, with some polls showing that the PSD party has moved fractionally ahead.
Legislative elections will take place on 30 January 2022 to elect members of the Assembly ............
With the elections less than a week away, the JM website has a feature on the PAN candidate for the legislative elections who states that corruption “is one of the major problems not only in the Region, but also in the country”, which, in his view, leads to a lack of funds to respond to needs ............
Açoriano Oriental reports that Casermel (Cooperativa de Apicultores e Sericultores de São Miguel) recorded a 40% drop in honey production last year compared to 2020. The main reason for this drop in production was bad weather, with rain and strong winds ............
The PA News Agency reports that the chief executives of the UK’s largest airlines have written to the Government to demand an end to coronavirus-related travel restrictions.
In the letter, they ask that travel restrictions be removed “at the very least” for those who are fully vaccinated. They ............
The Regional Secretary for Health and Civil Protection has decided not to continue with the weekly press conferences, in which Pedro Ramos took stock of the week in terms of fighting the pandemic, specifically in terms of the progress of the vaccination campaign and in updating the details of the ............
JM reports that according to the bulletin issued yesterday afternoon by the Regional Directorate for Health, who release the daily updates there are 875 new cases of positive Covid infections in the archipelago in the last 24 hours.
The figure announced for the previous 24-hour period was the lowest ............
JM reported last night that the ship “Rebecca S” was already in Porto Santo. The container ship, which departed in the afternoon from the port of Caniçal, where it left some cargo and picked up other goods for the “Golden Island”, will now make it possible to regularize ............
The Diario leads today with a report that inflation has returned to pre-pandemic levels, with annual prices increases running at 1.1%. The newspaper notes that is some pressure being felt in the transport sector, and farmers are feeling the pinch with the rising cost of fertilizer.
In general, inflation ............
JM reports that never in a single day had so many sick victims of COVID-19 died in Madeira. Today it was five.
According to a note from the Regional Health and Civil Protection Department, all the patients died at the main Dr Nélio Mendonça hospital in Funchal and had associated comorbidities.
There ............
A number of sources report this morning that UK ministers are preparing to scrap the Day 2 test requirement for fully vaccinated holidaymakers within days.
The FT reports that Thomas Cook and Jet 2 are expecting a surge in bookings for the February half-term as the move could save a family of four ............
Jaime reported last night that the Funchalense 5 has departed for Caniçal and the Ilha da Madeira is off Funchal heading the same way so it looks like, as forecast, the port is re-opening this weekend as the wind has shifted to the East and whilst the swell is still bad at Funchal the wind change ............
Both JM and the Diario reported at lunchtime today that a cargo plane is in the process of taking off from Madeira airport to restock the island of Porto Santo with essential goods, thus dealing with the constraints in the operation by sea due to weather conditions. The sea agitation is not reported ............
National World – not a website I have come across before – report on the possibility that more UK Covid travel restrictions may be lifted, and what the new rules could be.
Boris Johnson has stressed the importance of getting a Covid booster vaccine if people want to travel abroad this summer. ............
The Regional Directorate of Tourism has requested that the blog publicises an announcement that the Embroidery Museological Nucleus (Núcleo Museológico do Bordado) is closed as of today.
The IBVAM museum space brings together a collection made up of pieces of Madeira Embroidery dating back more than ............
In addition to Porto Santo, where there were reports of shelves empty of food this morning (pictured), several supermarkets in Madeira have now reported a shortage of some food products.
As previously reported here the situation is due to the strong maritime agitation that has made it impossible for ............
A study carried out by the Tourism Observatory of the University of Madeira indicates that the regional economy loses €1.4 million for each day of inactivity at the airport.
Élvio Camacho, one of the authors of the work, states that the analysis sample comprises the last two decades and does not ............
The Regional Secretary for the Economy, Rui Barreto, who was at the port of Funchal yesterday afternoon to monitor the unloading of priority products from the container ship “Funchalense 5”, says that this “operation was crowned with success, thanks to the response given, in record ............
The Madeira News website, with its automated news feed incorporating Google translate, has picked up a report that the cruise ship Iona managed to bring her bow close to the Port of Funchal, but was unable to dock due to the strong swell.
The ship had anticipated its return last night due to bad weather ............
Expresso reports today that the Ómicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus is now responsible for 93% of infections in Portugal. At the same time another strain has been detected with similar genetic characteristics, announced this Tuesday the Instituto Nacional ............
Following on from the previous post, JM reports that the cargo ship ‘Ponta do Sol’ docked in the port of Funchal last night to unload live cattle that had been on board for several days and had run out of feed.
The strong maritime agitation that has, according to the newspaper, “devastated” ............
Containerised supply deliveries delayed: Jaime has been in touch again this morning with an update on weather conditions: turning the focus off Funchal and the cruise ship problems. He noticed the container ships Ilhéu da Madeira (green arrow – below – heading North), Funchalense 5 (green ............
The excellent FN website reports that a press release from the regional health authority SESARAM says that the laboratory of the Clinical Pathology Service has updated its analysis equipment with the introduction of Roche’s unique “cobas” ............
Press Agency Lusa reports that more than 2,300 passengers were fined, between December 1 and January 16, for trying to enter mainland Portugal through air borders without a negative Coronvirus test according to the Ministry of Internal Administration (MAI).
According to the MAI, forty-one airlines ............