Society

Summer 1899. Porto. The bubonic plague spread in the Ribeira area, in Porto and caused the death of several people, which led authorities in Lisbon to declare a cordon sanitaire in that part of town to prevent the plague from spreading.

Porto Youth Hostel is already working as of 11th November, as a district hosting facility for people that are not infected with the new coronavirus, and the first beneficiaries are due to arrive within the coming days. The equipment is supplied with 35 beds, but its installed capacity can be doubled. In addition, the elderly who cannot rely on caretakers that have been infected by Covid-19 can be hosted at the Youth Hostel.

For several years now, municipal police officers take to the streets in Porto riding their bicycles. First there was surprise and astonishment; now it is just usual for residents and visitors to come across police officers on bikes. This is a proximity job and one that is more visible among residents. Officers António Ribeiro and Rui Silva, aged 53 and 51, respectively, and pioneers of Cycle Patrols in the Municipality of Porto.

This year, the traditional Christmas tree will not be displayed in front of Porto City Hall, as it could lead to crowd gatherings. Amid the ongoing Covid-19, the usual festive programme is halted, namely ice rinks, concerts in the Avenue and in other street stages scattered all over town, as well as street theatre and travelling street performances. The New Year’s Eve fireworks, which usually brings together thousands of people to downtown Porto is cancelled as well.

Instants of the city

Tonight, Porto stayed indoors to celebrate St John. In a notable way, Porto demonstrated civic-mindedness. Because it believes in the future, it is capable of sacrificing its present. This is no ordinary city. Here, we grit our teeth and face up to the challenge. That’s who we are. Period.

While physical attendance is yet to be fully possible, many arts and cultural equipment turn to other platforms to connect with their audiences. As such, the Water Pavilion, in Porto, offers digital services, namely the educational project H2Online. This project ensures that social and social distancing is in place while providing several laboratory activities that are streamed via the Microsoft Teams platform.

In Porto, in December 2019, the water level in Douro River overflowed once again onto the surrounding banks.

This "civic spot", Porto ranks first in Monocle's second annual Small Cities Index and the city is profiled as featuring the perfect "urban life" as it offers a number of opportunities business, cultural, and nature wise.

Ordem Moral, a film based on real facts, tells the story of a woman that stood against an epoch good morals and escaped to live with the love of her life. In 1918, Maria Adelaide Coelho da Cunha, Portuguese socialite and heiress of Eduardo Coelho, founder of the major daily newspaper Diário de Notícias, abandons the luxury life she was living and decides to join her lover, a family chauffer, and 26 years younger than her.