entered high risk – Observer
The map published this Thursday by the European Center for Prevention and Control (ECDC) shows that Mainland Portugal and the Autonomous Region of the Azores remain in yellow (the third most serious category), while the Autonomous Region of Madeira entered the orange.
After, in October’s escape, it was in the green category (relating to the best epidemiological situation on the ECDC map) and two weeks having gone back to yellow, Madeira returns this Thursday to see the downgraded rating, changing to orange, which means high risk.
In the rest of Europe, however, red predominates (the most serious scenario on the scale), mainly in the center of the continent. Countries such as Austria, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands or Belgium are at maximum risk, a trend that also extends to territories of eastern and southeastern Europe – such as Bulgaria, Greece or Estonia.
The only region in green on this map is the sardinia, in Italy. Portugal (minus Madeira) is not yellow, along with most of the Italian provinces – and are, alongside Malta, the only ones painted in this color.
ECDC map matches Covid-19 case notification rates in the last 14 days, the number of tests carried out and the total of positives, and it is updated weekly, on Thursday, helping Member States on the restrictions to apply to travel in the community space.
This European agency map follows a system of traffic lights on the spread of Covid-19 in the EU, starting in green (favorable situation), passing through orange and red (very dangerous situation), serving as an aid to Member States on the restrictions to apply to travel in wide space.
Last February, and due to the high number of infections with the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, which causes Covid-19 disease, Portugal was even in the red category of ECDC maps, used for areas where the virus circulates at very high levels.
In June, the EU Council adopts a recommendation for a coordinated approach to travel, proposing that Covid-19 vaccinates and recoveries should not be assessed against restrictive measures such as quarantines or testing.
Covid-19 has caused at least 5,122,675 deaths worldwide, among more than 254,952,650 infections with the new coronavirus registered since the start of the pandemic, according to the latest report by the Agence France-Presse.