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The capacity of the municipal cemetery of Braga has been conditioned from this Monday to 250 people simultaneously, a measure imposed by the Braga Chamber that is in force until November 6.
This condition is part of the restrictive measures of the municipality to try to contain the high number of infections of the covid-19 disease registered during the last three weeks.
Each person may only be inside the cemetery for a maximum of one hour, with the obligation to wear a mask, and the municipality will provide its own means to ensure that the rules are upheld.
The MINHO was about 50 meters from the cemetery, in Monte de Arcos, to listen to the flower merchants who are located in that space in stands throughout the year.
Most think that the cemetery is capable of receiving more people at the same time, but there are those who think that the best thing would be not even open.
“The cemetery is equivalent to four stadiums in Braga”
António Braga, 74, is already dean of the business. With a stand open for 45 years, already “since the time of his mother-in-law”, the resident braga in Cividade thinks that there should not even be restrictions, pointing out that the cemetery is equivalent to “four stadiums in Braga”.
António Braga. Photo: Fernando André Silva / O MINHO
“We were free for two months and this was a good time for us to pursue the loss, but they decided to limit tickets and it will only hurt us because people are not going to queue like before,” said the trader.
On May 5, the cemetery was reopened after almost two months closed due to the pandemic, but the maximum capacity was 20 people and there were endless lines at the door of that municipal facility, according to our newspaper.
Confusion at the door of the Braga cemetery on the first day of deflation
António complains of lack of support, although the municipality has ‘forgiven’ three months of income [cada stand paga 260 euros mensais]. But the merchant says that it is not enough, since they lost all the flowers they had ordered at that time and still had to pay for water, “about 40 euros a month,” he says.
“We had a lot of damage and almost no help. We have not received anything from the Government even though we have already requested it. They also said from the Chamber that they were going to give some financial aid but they have not said anything yet, “he laments.
António confesses that he has been selling “something” in recent days, but “not half” of what he sold in other years.
“This year I ordered less than half the flowers, because in addition to the virus, it also rained and the staff did not show up to buy,” he says. “They deserve the arrangements that people can buy now and that hold up well until All Saints’ Day,” he says.
“I think there could be 500 people at a time”
Pedro Duarte, at the stand next to António, agrees that the limitation to 250 people is “exaggerated”. A relative of the owner, he complains of “lower influx” and, consequently, “lower sales” in recent days, compared to previous years.
“I think instead of 250 people, 500 could be comfortable, and that would bring more people, because they knew they weren’t going to queue,” he says.
Pedro already sells for Todos los Santos, but “it’s not much.” “We thought that people were going to anticipate buying flowers due to the pandemic, but that has not been seen much, people do not come,” he says.
Pedro Duarte. Photo: Fernando André Silva / O MINHO
The merchant says he is satisfied with the support of the Chamber in relation to the three months of ‘forgiveness’ of income, but that alone is not enough to maintain the business.
“People are afraid of the virus, it is normal, but the cemetery is outdoors, there is more security than in other spaces where more people are allowed in,” he highlights.
Pedro even gives an example of the Braga Parque shopping center, where more than a thousand people can circulate inside it simultaneously.
“Braga Parque is a closed place and is always full of people while the cemetery is outdoors and people can distance themselves better,” he says.
Pedro also complains about the closure of cemeteries in various parishes of the municipality. “In the parishes, many cemeteries are closing between October 31 and November 2, and that also hurts us because people came here to buy flowers,” he explains.
Regarding the government’s support, Pedro says they are illusions. “They are supportive and we don’t have to pay now, but we will have to pay later, so I don’t think it’s worth asking for anything,” he confesses.
Regarding the virus, the merchant is aware that if people use a mask and disinfectant while keeping their distance, there would not even be limitations in the cemetery. “Soon we will not be able to leave the house,” he concludes.
“Limitation of circulation between municipalities will harm the business”
Cláudia Faria, another flower merchant, agrees with the 250-person capacity in the cemetery, but points out a new difficulty that her colleagues did not mention: the limitation of movement between municipalities on the Finados weekend.
“I agree with the limitation of people inside the cemetery because if they did not exist, surely people would accumulate there and increase infections,” he begins by saying.
Cláudia Faria. Photo: Fernando André Silva / O MINHO
However, he thinks that limiting circulation between municipalities is not a useful measure, “because people came from all over, from Famalicão, Trofa, Vila Verde, and even Vila Real, to buy flowers.”
Cláudia explains that some of these clients, who have already come in other years, “don’t show up.” They were loyal customers and this year they will not come because they cannot leave the municipality and the justification that they are going to buy flowers is not collected by the authorities.
The merchant says that some of these customers have relatives in the Braga cemetery and used the Day of the Dead to pay a visit. Other of these clients came to Braga to buy the flowers to take them to the cemeteries where they live, on the outskirts of Braga.
The drops are 50% in sales, so far, but Cláudia believes that they will fall more in the coming days. “I have noticed that some people have anticipated and bought flowers before the usual days, for fear of the crowds,” he reinforces.
Braga flower market. Photo: Fernando André Silva / O MINHO
“We are selling 50% less than usual, but this has been happening since the beginning of the pandemic, not just now. We are counting on Santos FC to recover a little during these difficult months ”, he laments.
An order signed by Councilor Olga Pereira, from the Braga Chamber, limited access to the Monte de Arcos cemetery to 250 people simultaneously. The measure went into effect on Monday and ends only on November 6.
Access to the Braga cemetery limited to 250 people simultaneously on All Saints’ Day
On the occasion of the weekend of the Dead (Day of the Dead and All Saints), the Government decided a resolution, approved by the Council of Ministers and published this Monday in the Diário da República, which obliges citizens to remain in their Councils of residence between 00:00 hours on October 30 and 06:00 hours on November 3, in order to stop the contagion of covid-19, especially in the North, as said at the time by the Minister of State and The presidency. Mariana Vieira da Silva.
The municipality of Braga registered, last Saturday, 2,460 cases of people infected by the new coronavirus, according to O MINHO, verified by a local health source.
In the last balance, there were 74 deaths, a figure that has remained the same since June 16.
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