The President of the Government announced today that inter-island air links and maritime links on the Central Group islands will be gradually resumed from Friday, May 29. 

Regarding the Azores Airlines flight connections outside the Region, Vasco Cordeiro added that the Government will analyse this issue in the early weeks of June so that these flights during that month may resume during that month. 

"This will be done progressively. In a first phase, only flights to Mainland Portugal will be resumed so that we may progressively reactivate these flights throughout the month of June," said Vasco Cordeiro. The President of the Government spoke after having met with representatives of the hospitality and restaurant sectors, as part of a series of contacts that began last week in the areas of Fisheries, Agriculture and Education. 

According to him, the resumption of the operations of SATA Air Açores and Atlânticoline on the Central Group islands will be carried out gradually, which will be exempted from some travel authorisation procedures. 

"This step is being taken at this moment because we believe the right conditions are met," Vasco Cordeiro said, ensuring that the Government will closely monitor the situation arising from the increased movement of people that will occur.
 
“We now take this step safely, but we cannot, of course, rule out that it may eventually be necessary to go back. 

We are not talking about the need to step back if, perhaps, another positive case emerges. 
The question is not whether we will have new positive cases, but our ability to determine the chain of transmission, to isolate, to test and to have the situation under control," said the government official. 

According to Vasco Cordeiro, the Regional Government has been carrying out "an intense work to assess the progressive resumption of these services" in conjunction with various
governmental departments and with the public maritime and air transport companies."
 
Regarding today's meeting, the President of the Government stressed its importance “for the definition of the future,” with prospects of tracing a “path of confidence and hope in the reconstruction of a sector as important as Tourism is for the regional economy.”
 
Today's meeting was attended by representatives of the Azores Tourism Association, the Portuguese Hotel Association, the Association of Hotels, Restaurants and Similar Services of Portugal, the Azores Local Accommodation Association and Azorean Houses - Rural Tourism in the Azores. 

On Tuesday, Vasco Cordeiro has scheduled meetings with the Board of Directors of Island Health Units and the three regional hospitals, while, on the following day, he will meet with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Azores and AICOPA - Azores Building Industry and Public Works Association. In turn, the meetings with the leaders of UGT/Açores (General Union of Workers) and CGTP/Açores (General Union of Workers) will be held Thursday.