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by Joana Faustino and Rita Pereira Carvalho
Scheduled for September 4, 5 and 6, the Avante! makes both the residents and workers of Amora Parish unsafe. With a week before the festival, the trade is still ruled by uncertainties. María Benelo Ferreira, owner of Cafetaria Arcada, which is next to one of the doors of the enclosure, admits that she does not yet know if the establishment is going to open or not: “I’ve already done all Avante’s parties! Since I’ve been here I haven’t had any nothing against., but I don’t think this year should be done, if I open it it will only be to take away, no one will enter… but I still don’t know why after the first cups there will be no social distance ”.
What was not a problem in previous years is now. Some neighbors confess to thinking about leaving the county during the weekend of the party because of the high congestion: “Half the neighborhood is going to leave. Last year I had an alcoholic coma on my door, we cannot risk this year,” he says . a customer from the same coffee shop.
And if Arcada still has doubts about whether or not to open doors, even just to take away, several other cafes and cakes such as Café Serpente, Tão Bela 2 and Verde e Amarelo have already decided to close during the party period.
The safety of the people seems to come first compared to monetary gain. Although the commercial establishments were closed during the period of the state of emergency, the merchants prefer not to take risks and to close again for another three days. Olinda Pascoal, owner of Café Serpente, says that she takes care of the family’s health and tells SOL why she decided not to open the establishment during the party period: “My children came to work during the party and they have small children and then if there is a problem, how do they get the babies? “
On the terrace of the Tão Bela 2 patisserie, the topic being discussed is the same as on the other streets of the Amora parish. “There was no problem with the party of the year, why do we have to take risks this year?” Asks the couple Paula and José Vargas, workers from Seixal. It is impossible for them to control security measures during the festival. Regarding security, José Vargas makes a suggestion: “If you want to do the Fiesta Avante! You have to identify all the people who go and then the one who gets sick, when you get to the hospital, his name is there and he pays out of his own pocket. “.
Forbidden weddings and parties onwards
And just as the lack of security measures is a problem, so are the dualities in terms of the permits granted: “If now I want to get married and have 60 or 70 guests, she won’t let me, it has to be half, and 30 will be added. thousand”. , laments José Vargas. Next to the woman he drinks coffee, he asks: “Do the marketers want to ‘govern themselves’ and cannot go to the fairs, with so many restrictions, and now they have a party like this with so many people together?” In addition to the party, the cafe maid goes into the frenzy of serving drinks and engaging in conversation, firing: “And then we are forced to close the cafe at ten o’clock at night.”
House occupied by strangers
The feeling of indignation is great on the part of those who feel that they will have a bit of their ‘home’ occupied by strangers. During the festival it is common to see campers sleeping outside the enclosure and this is more worrying for the neighbors: “Some go to the Amora camp there, others stay in the parking lots, that is where they want to go …”, adds the couple. Paula Vargas confesses that on the days of the party she will stay at home because the establishment where she works, Marisqueira O Pinto, will be another that will close doors.
Avante’s party! It has been celebrated for more than 40 years, having already passed through various places, both on the north bank and on the south bank of the Tagus. The event organized by the Portuguese Communist Party, in addition to the political message, also lives on concerts of music, theater, gastronomy and literature. Given the possibility of camping, proximity is a strong feature of this festival and, therefore, is a matter of great concern for the inhabitants of Amora. The Avante! It has been embroiled in controversy since the pandemic began, as many accuse the PCP of having privileged treatment compared to the other summer festivals that were canceled.
The PCP may disclose the opinion of DGS
The Order of Physicians defended last Thursday that the health inspection carried out at the festival must be independent: “The inspection cannot be carried out by the interested parties. It is the same as drivers begin to inspect their own driving on the highways. What Would the traffic brigade then? ”Asks Filipe Froes, coordinator of the covid-19 crisis office of the Ordem dos Médicos.
Whether due to uncertainty or fear of large crowds, both shopkeepers and residents of the parish prefer to play it safe and will stay away from the crowds because “after the first few drinks, there will be no social distance.”
Avante’s party! It begins next Friday the 4th, and the public still does not know the final opinion of the General Directorate of Health on the official bases of the event. The latest opinion regarding the Festa do Avante! It came out last Wednesday, but Graças Freitas says that now it is up to the Portuguese Communist Party to decide whether or not to divulge it.
