“The attitude of the young people was unqualified, what happened in Porto Santo deserves the total repudiation of the City Council”, said on 20 August Idalino Vasconcelos.

The most recent data, released on 19 August by the Regional Health Directorate (DRS), indicate that in Porto Santo 81 active cases of Covid-19 were diagnosed.

The island has a population of around 5,000 residents, but in the summer months, being a popular holiday destination for Madeira Island inhabitants, it has 30,000 people in its territory.

The increase in covid-19 cases recorded in recent days has led health authorities to create a new confinement space with 50 beds, in the center of the island, as the hotel unit dedicated to this task, with 42 beds, had no more capacity.

In recent weeks there have been reports of "irresponsible behaviour" of many young people who spend their holidays on the island, with the registration of gatherings, without complying with the preventive rules "between midnight and 01:00 am, which is the curfew”, mentioned the mayor.

“We are informed daily about the concentration problems of young people, many of them minors, drunks”, pointed out Idalino Vasconcelos, saying that the situation is also due to the “lack of parental supervision”.

The mayor lamented that these types of situations happen “despite the municipality's appeals”, because they harm the island's residents, in addition to affecting the image of Porto Santo as a safe tourist destination.

“It was a shame that there was no pedagogical action that was requested by the Porto Santo City Council to the security forces, as last year”, he declared, recalling that meetings with the inspection and security authorities took place before the vacation period.

Idalino Vasconcelos underlined that the situation on the island “could be much better if there wasn't the irresponsible attitude of most young people” who are on vacation there.

Therefore, the municipality corroborates the position of residents who “have expressed their sadness”.

However, Idalino Vasconcelos said that there are episodes like that in almost all tourist destinations at this time of summer.

“It is necessary for everyone to do their part and I appeal to young people to be more responsible, I appeal to their civic spirit and to be more aware of the consequences of their actions”, he said.

The president of the Madeira Regional Government, Miguel Albuquerque, said on 16 August that the situation in Porto Santo was “very complicated” and announced that he would ask for greater intervention by the security forces, namely with the imposition of fines in cases of non-compliance with preventive rules.

The DRS states that the island of Porto Santo has registered a total of 201 infected since the beginning of the pandemic, totalling 120 recovered patients and one death associated with the disease.

On 19 August, health authorities in Madeira recorded 47 new cases of Covid-19 and 30 recoveries in the archipelago, with the total number of active infections in the archipelago being 352, with eight hospitalized patients and 75 deaths.