Parishes in the center of Lisbon prepared for the Jornada Munda strike, especially in terms of cleanliness

The presidents of the parish councils of Santo António and Santa Maria Maior in the center of Lisbon ensured this Monday the necessary preparations for World Youth Day (WYD), the main task of which is urban hygiene.

“Our teams are prepared, they are equipped, we have everything to make everything go well. We tried to foresee all possible and imaginary scenarios. It is clear that we cannot foresee all of them, but I am almost sure that everything will be fine,” said the chairman of the parish council of Santo António, Vasco Morgado (PSD), who is in charge of the territory of Avenida da Liberdade, where part of the WYD participants will observe for initiatives on the stage of the Parque Eduardo VII.

In an interview with the Lusa agency, the mayor of Santo António said that “an average of 400,000 people, 24 hours a day” are expected on Avenida da Liberdade and in Eduardo VII Park as part of the WYD, which takes place from 01 to 06. August.

Of the junta’s 133 employees, 36 will work in the field of civil protection under the “Os Bravos de Santo António” project, and 70 in the field of urban cleaning, with the employment of 20 more people.

These human resources will be allocated specifically to WYD with rotating shifts to ensure that these services operate 24 hours a day, Vasco Morgado indicated, referring to the fact that equipment and machines were also purchased, with an investment of about 30 thousand euros that will remain after event.

For the mayor, the main concern is urban hygiene, to “keep the city and this part of the city clean and with as few problems as possible,” a job that is done in conjunction with ward teams.

“The government’s mobility plan has been shelved, it has been shelved for several months. We worked blindly, and, like good Portuguese, everyone started to work as he understood. Now we are adapting our plan. to the one that suits us. presented,” he said.

In a conversation with Luza, social democrat Vasco Morgado criticized the work of socialist José Sa Fernández as coordinator of the WYD project team: “It remains in the hands of a man who has already proven to be the biggest cause of many of the problems that the city has had […]. He didn’t do much anymore here in the cell [quando era vereador da Estrutura Verde]he just didn’t do much for an event that has only world significance, like a trip.”

“The choice of the government was not very successful, but it was what it was, and now we have to live with it. There are 15 days left before this start, and of course everything will be fine, because we always have time to give an extra liter so that things go well. Now we had to be who we are, with faith in our mouths,” the mayor said.

The parish of Santo António plans to house “about 300 pilgrims”, many of whom are in schools, and is working in conjunction with hotels as WYD needs to be “forced to reconcile” with tourism demand.

In the neighboring parish, Santa Maria Mayor Chairman Miguel Coelho (PS) ensured that his municipality is also ready for WYD, “especially in terms of the measures needed in terms of urban hygiene.”

“Of course, we are ready within the limits of what is required of us. We foresee very large overloads in urban hygiene and in the use of public spaces. We have taken a number of measures, including the temporary hiring of people for this period,” the mayor said. .

Believing that “the majority” of WYD attendees will want to visit the city’s historic center, the parish of Santa Maria Mayor “has some hope for human overload”.

“But we also don’t have a dramatic attitude towards what’s coming. We are ready, foreseeing that there will be periods of some difficulties and hard work,” said Miguel Coelho, explaining that in the height of summer, the board usually employs about 20 people, because this is always a period of great congestion in the territory.

In connection with the WYD, it was decided to double this increase, and 40 people were hired to provide a response in terms of urban hygiene.

Regarding the mobility plan presented by the government and the Lisbon Chamber, the socialist considered it “predictable and correct on a global scale”, noting that the restrictions “were inevitable”, adding that the “only concern” that concerns residents’ access to their homes, do not worry , which depends on the human resources deployed in the field for observation.

“If there are no disruptions or there are many disruptions, things will go satisfactorily” in terms of mobility, the mayor said, adding that the parish expects to host “about 1,000 people” participating in the WYD.

Regarding the organization of the event, the socialist considered that criticism of José Sa Fernandez is a political issue: “We have nothing to point out to either the coordinator or the chamber. […]. We are just waiting to do our part and that things go well, of course, not only for the benefit of the city, but also for the prestige of Portugal.”

“We don’t have anything special to note about the organization, the way everything was prepared, we don’t have anything to point out. Then we will sum up the results when it ends,” he concluded.

Considered the biggest event of the Catholic Church, WYD will take place this year in Lisbon from August 1st to 6th, and around 1.5 million people are expected.