Welcome to the 25th and 26th weekly update!
Macau registered one imported case of COVID-19 on January 21, after a string of 7 months without any new infections detected in Macau.
This came just on the eve of the first anniversary of the first infection detected in Macau and the date chosen by our Club to organize a seminar on the effects of the pandemic on specific groups of people in our society.
Jointly organized with the Rui Cunha Foundation, the seminar’s speakers were PP Elvo, who talked about the psychological effects, PP Fatima, who talked about the impact on organizations such as Fuhong who deal with PP with special needs, and Augusto Nogueira, from ARTM who talked about how people with dependency have dealt with this situation.
I would like to express my gratitude to all the Rotarians who attended and to the Rui Cunha Foundation for all the arrangements. Following the seminar, some of us gathered for a fellowship dinner at the Catedral Café. 
You may review the full seminar on this link:
Our Club’s Facebook page also makes available the seminar’s news coverage on Portuguese and English media.
https://www.facebook.com/RCMacau
On Monday, January 25, I represented our Club at the 50th anniversary of the Saint Paul’s School.
Our Rotarian Philip was distinguished for his long-time service to St. Paul’s School.
Former Principal, our good friend father Alex, was also in the audience.
On January 15, a delegation of our Club met with our Honorary Member, Mr. Edmund Ho.
It was a very pleasant meeting where we reported on the projects developed over the current Rotary year. 
Mr. Ho offered words of encouragement to continue with our projects, especially those related to epidemic prevention, maternal and child care.
Regarding events, just a few more notes about what is coming up in the next few days!
- January is Vocational Month for Rotary. So we are organizing a Vocational Visit to Fuhong’s Restaurant followed by lunch for us to enjoy some excellent Portuguese food. This visit is scheduled to take place on Saturday, January 30. Registration for the Fuhong Restaurant Vocational Visit will start soon.
- The Lunar New Year is just around the corner. We are going to have our New Year Gathering on February 18, at the Plaza Restaurant, as usual!
Meanwhile, we have been enjoying our Regular Meetings at Sofitel at Ponte 16.
Last week, we were at the Baccarat Room which has a balcony offering stunning views across the inner Harbour to Wan Chai in neighboring Zhuhai.
And in the previous week, we received the virtual visit of alumni Lee Thomas.
He had the opportunity to share his experience, as a Doctor, regarding the COVID-19 vaccination process, which is quite advanced in the US. PP Stella and PP Liz, also joined us via Zoom to listen to Lee’s sharing. 
We all learned a lot about the different vaccines and felt reassured about the safety of taking the jab!
We were all also delighted to read PP Gary’s message and to see his photos.
PP Gary is still in Sydney. 
We also received a new year best wishes’ message from alumni António Salavessa da Costa who is currently living in Portugal.
Finally, a word about the “Rotary Sing For Fund” online concert which will now take place on March 27. 
Donations will be accepted up to February 28.
All proceedings will go towards the Cradle of Hope.
Yours in Rotary
President João
