REPORT: We didn’t want to come back in Slovakia. We traveled to the Portuguese “paradise of Europe without cover” with 90% vaccination
The most vaccinated country in the European Union lies on the opposite side of the old continent as Slovakia. If you went to Vienna Airport in the morning, you would be performing in Portugal after three hours. In a country where almost no coronavirus measures apply today.
This European country suffered a lot during the change in the coronavirus pandemic, but it was not mentioned as often in the media as Spain or Italy. Both countries introduced strict lockdowns in the first and second waves, during which people could not leave their homes even because of a walk in nature.
With a hard lockdown on the horizon and a catastrophic epidemic situation, we said that we would go to Portugal with more than 90 percent vaccinations of adults to see for ourselves what it looks like in the alleged coronavirus-free paradise.
In Portugal, we spent 11 days together in Faro, Lagos and Lisbon, and during the holidays we watched closely as the locals dealt with a virus that killed thousands of their compatriots a week at the end of the year.
- Where we hung in Portugal for 11 days.
- What struck us first in Portugal in terms of the pandemic.
- As a vaccination campaign, a well-known submarine admiral took over.
- Which, according to the admiral, was crucial not to involve in the vaccination campaign.
- How is it possible that no one required a covid passport from us anywhere.
- What is needed to enter, bars or clubs.
- Like that the veil is worn outside not only by seniors, but also by teenagers.
- To what extent have we found the police present on the streets.
- Why shouldn’t Slovaks be like Northmen, but rather like Portuguese.
When you have been vaccinated over 90 percent of the adult populationWhen vaccinations began across Europe at the turn of 2020 and 2021, Portugal adhered to the European Union average, but at a time when other countries began to slow down, Portuguese proudly stood in front of vaccination centers and today boast adult vaccination in excess of 90 percent. The vaccination rate of the entire population is currently 88 percent, he says Our world in data.
In the last 7 days, the average number of new cases is around 2,300. In Slovakia, this average is more than 10,000 cases. In terms of deaths, the seven-day average in Portugal is 11 victims, even though it is twice the size of Slovakia, where the average death rate is 49.
For Slovakia, these numbers sound like utopia, because we lack about 45 percent of this goal – today we have only 45 percent of the population fully vaccinated.
We wanted to move into this utopia, at least for a while, to experience the world first-hand, with only the recommended wearing of veils indoors remaining the most. In the end, we spent 11 days in Portugal, after which we didn’t want much in Slovakia …
“Sick,” he muttered in Portugal as we read the news from home
Today, Portugal is a funny paradox at a time of deteriorating epidemic catastrophic situation in Slovakia. While the Slovak anti-vaxers occupy Lidl and swear at the saleswomen, because they should wear drapes, even leaving Portugal does not miraculously move you to a paradise without a crown.
The fact that a pandemic is taking place is reminded of you every few seconds. We walk through the streets of the city of Faro in the south of the country, where most people go for the sun’s rays, which have long since disappeared. Temperatures during the day are just above 20 degrees Celsius, but in direct sunlight we sometimes hesitate to move to July Croatia.
Evening Faro is almost empty at the train and bus station. Even if they don’t have to, we sometimes see people wearing robes on the streets – the first reminder after the airport and the bus that the pandemic is in full swing.
Meanwhile, notifications about what is happening in Slovakia regularly pop up on the phone display. Lidli protest, swearing at paramedics, death threats from well-known vaccine supporters. “Sick,” we talk to each other with a smile on our faces, because more than seven thousand additions of new cases are definitely to be ignored – we are still on vacation, which is supposed to be a busy escape from the gray Slovak reality.
We have no one to vaccinate, Portugal reports
Portugal reported in early October that there was virtually no one to be vaccinated among the adult population. “The most important thing is to make this thing.” Submarine Admiral Henrique Gouveia e Melo, who was in charge of the vaccination strategy, announced during the vaccination campaign.
She said the vaccination campaign would only work if we did not omit politics and educated doctors, analysts and mathematicians about vaccination instead of politicians. Apparently it worked, we say, as we walk through the seaside town of Lagos, where I had a hard time looking for half-opened vaccination centers in shopping malls.
They do not have the advice of people like today in Slovakia, because we are in danger of a hard lockdown for SEO vaccination. The Portuguese went through their hell at the beginning of the year, when more than 2,000 people died in a week, and then they realized that they came before lovers to read amateur posts on Facebook.
No one from us has a vaccination card anywhere
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What will you learn after the departure?
- How is it possible that no one required a covid passport from us anywhere.
- What is needed to enter, bars or clubs.
- Why a large part of people still wear a veil outside.
- Like that the veil is worn outside not only by seniors, but also by teenagers.
- What it looks like in a full Portuguese supermarket during a pandemic.
- Why we laughed at the cops with veils and a cigarette.
- To what extent have we found the police present on the streets.
- Why shouldn’t Slovaks be like Northmen, but rather like Portuguese.
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