In a statement, the PSD minority executive in management clarified that the public holiday includes “all services, public institutes and public companies under the supervision of the Regional Government”, highlighting that “all essential or indispensable services and activities” will be ensured.

The decision was taken at the meeting of the Regional Government Council, led by Miguel Albuquerque, which took place in Funchal.

Among other decisions, the Madeiran executive decided to publicly praise the Madeira delegate of the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere, Vitor Prior, who is preparing to leave his duties in the region and take up a new position on the mainland.

Vitor Prior, also director of the Madeira Meteorological Observatory, worked in the region for 17 years, a period that the executive says was marked by his “high technical and scientific skills”.

“Their availability to, in the most diverse circumstances, provide information and clarifications that are useful to the lives of citizens in general and also to the normal functioning of the most diverse institutions, constitutes a notable example of social responsibility, deserving of all praise”, states the Regional Government.