News Highlights

The 13th edition of the Speed Recruitment event is held exclusively online, this year, on 25th November, at 9am, due to the Covid-19 contingency plan. Participants will be able to visit the virtual stands of all the companies that are associated with the event, get feedback regarding recruitment needs and existing job opportunities. Participation is free but prior registration is mandatory. Apply at www.speedrecruitment.pt

Applications for the Bienal’21 Fotografia do Porto Open Call are running until 30th November. Applications to the support programme are free and the aim is to select two winners: an artist or collective, Portuguese or foreigner, one residing in Portugal and the other in Spain. Results will be announced on 14th December.

Starting this Friday, economic operators in town can count on the specialised service of the support line “Revitaliza Porto”. This is a free support service launched by the Municipality of Porto, via InvestPorto, whose goal is to support the business community in the city of Porto in the response to the pandemic crisis.

Porto City Hall is among the five finalists of the IPPS-Iscte Public Policies Prize. This recognition is the result of the Municipal programme to early detection of Covid-19 in Residential Structures for Elderly People in the city of Porto, which provided screening and testing to all beneficiaries and care workers of retirement homes within the Municipality of Porto. The winners will be announced on 20th November, in an online ceremony.

This year, the São Silvestre race of Porto, scheduled for 26 and 27 December, goes virtual for the first time ever. Applications are open and participants can choose between the 10km race or the 5km walk. All information is available at the Runporto website.

The Guardian displays Porto’s Covid prevention measures campaign to explain how Europe is tackling the pandemic’s second wave. The online article highlights how several European countries, such as Austria, Germany, France, Sweden and Portugal are implementing measures, as regards, for instance, community engagement and restrictions.

The Municipal Executive led by Rui Moreira will include in the 2021 Municipal Budget an extension of the support measures to economic operators in town till the end of 2021. The measure represents a budget impact of over 315 thousand euros.

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.

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.

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.