GENERAL PROCEDURES
Before you head to the campus
First and foremost, protect your health:
- Don’t leave home without measuring your body temperature and, should it be high, don’t leave and contact SNS24 (808 24 24 24);
- Don’t come to the campus or attend classes if you feel ill, or if you suspect you may be ill;
- Use a mask/face covering in all your movements away from home and throughout the campus (the use of mask is mandatory);
- Keep a safety physical distance, even in open spaces (never under 1m)
- Maintain a Proper Respiratory Etiquette: do not breath or speak close to other people;
- Should you need to sneeze or cough, cover your mouth with your arm or with a tissue;
- Wash your hands frequently – with soap – for at least 20 seconds;
- Perform permanent hygiene of the hands, in particular, keeping them away from your mouth, nose and eyes;
- Do not share your belongings, especially those you use for personal care, with others unless you have previously and thoroughly sanitised them;
Stay healthy – PROTECT YOUR HEALTH
Access to the Campus
Access to the campus must be made with the utmost respect for the guidelines of the DGS on physical distancing and protection of risk groups. All users of the University campus must bear the following in mind:
- Only those students, lecturers, researchers and support staff who have duties to perform should go to the campus, and they must not remain in the campus outside class and/or service hours;
- Remaining in the campus spaces is restricted to class times or the time strictly necessary to deal with any matter with the university services;
- The rules of respiratory etiquette must be complied with;
- It is mandatory that all who are in the campus wear a mask/face covering, regardless of whether they are in enclosed spaces or in the open air, whenever they are in a group. (remember: wearing a mask doesn’t protect you, it protects others, so everyone must wear a mask/face covering to ensure global protection);
- Everyone must sanitise their hands regularly using the hand sanitisers provided;
- The rules of physical distancing must be respected, avoiding groups (in the outside areas groups over 10 people are not allowed) and the recommended physical distance must be kept between people;
- The rules of circulation must be complied with, both regarding access to buildings, and movements within spaces (following the signals on the doors and on the pavement);
- The presence of students, teachers or staff in the corridors of the buildings or in any inner space of the university is not allowed outside class times. Whenever possible, students must wait for the arrival of the teacher in outside spaces, keeping due distancing;
- Use of the university’s online services should be favoured, as well as contact by email or by phone;
- All the rules of access to and circulation in classrooms, laboratories, offices and buildings must be complied with.
General norms for on-campus conviviality and behaviour
Protect your community (on campus and at home)
- On the university campus respect all the orientations and use a mask whenever you are in a group;
- Should you have any query (health-related, psychosocial in nature, or any other), use the contact information of the services provided by the University (see in this document);
- When you go to the Administrative Services, follow the recommended rules of conduct;
- When you go to class, follow the recommended rules of conduct.
Protect yourself and your family (on campus and at home)
Presence on campus requires:
- That each lecturer and student sanitise their hands on the way in and before they take their place in a room;
- That the lecturer be equipped with a mask or face covering;
- That students be equipped with mask and, if recommended, gloves (specific laboratories);
- That each student and lecturer sanitise their hands before leaving the premises;
- The lab coat is an essential item in lab classes – access to the lab is not allowed to students without a lab coat;
- In the periods between classes keep the recommended social distance and avoid crowds;
- When you have finished your activities on campus, go home – crowds are not allowed on the university campus except for very short periods.
Your safety is OUR SAFETY
For everyone’s safety, the University:
- Ensures the regular and frequent cleaning and sanitising of all areas used by the students, lecturers and support staff;
- Provides access to hand sanitisers in the classroom and interior access areas (masks are available at specific pick-up points for anyone without their own mask);
- Strongly recommends a “no-share” policy for all personal objects (pens, for instance) that haven’t been previously sanitised;
- Strongly recommends that recommended social distancing, the rules of “respiratory etiquette” and, naturally, frequent hand washing be observed;
- Ensures the limit to the number of people per classroom/laboratory.
Procedures in case of detection of infection
All the individuals who frequent the institution must self-monitor signs and symptoms daily, and refrain from going to the institution if they present symptoms indicative of COVID-19. In these cases, contact SNS 24 (808 24 24 24) immediately, or other helplines created for this purpose, according to the norms and orientations of the DGS.
OFF CAMPUS
All individuals who frequent the university and show symptoms, whether they have been diagnosed or have been in contact with a diagnosed patient, besides following the DGS norms, must inform the university by phone (21 751 55 00) or por email: info@ulusofona.pt of the days and places they visited the campus so that the university services can act accordingly regarding the correct disinfection of spaces.
ON CAMPUS
All suspected cases must be conveyed to an isolation area by the employees assigned to the task according to the procedures defined in the Contingency Plan as well as the norms and orientations of the DGS, namely:
- The individual of the academic community showing symptoms must remain where they are, keep social distancing and call the university by phone (21 751 55 00) stating their name, phone number and location;
- The individual appointed by the Self-Protection Services Team (SAP) or any other employee it delegated the task on accompanies the symptomatic person to the isolation area and provides the necessary assistance;
- Before providing the necessary assistance, the SAP team member must take all the precautions, following the norms of the DGS regarding use of PPE (mask, visor, disposable gloves, disposable suit) and maintaining distancing;
- While giving assistance, the SAP team member must provide the symptomatic individual with a mask (should they not have one) and accompany them to the isolation room, always keeping social distancing.
- The suspected COVID-19 patient must wear a mask, should their clinical condition allow it, which must be put on by the individual. The mask must be well adjusted to the face to ensure there are no gaps around the nose, mouth, chin and cheeks. On men with a beard, this measure can be adapted – the mask is complemented by a tissue).
- Whenever the mask becomes moist, the symptomatic individual must replace it.
- Only inside the isolation room shall the suspected COVID-19 patient contact the SNS24 hotline (808 24 24 24).
After assessment, the SNS24 hotline will inform the suspected case, implementing one of the following measures:
- If this is not a suspected COVID-19 patient, the procedures suitable to the clinical situation of the member of the academic community will be defined;
- Should this be, in fact, a COVID-19 case: the SNS 24 service will validate the suspicion. This validation may result in:
- Non-validated suspect case: the case is closed for COVID-19. The SNS 24 services will define the standard procedures that are suitable to the clinical condition of the student or employee. The member of the academic community will inform “the person in charge of SAP” of the non-validation and the latter will inform the director of the organic unit/service;
- Validated Suspect Case: the DGS activates the National Medical Emergency Institute (INEM), all the responsible entities, thus starting the epidemiological research and contact management. The member of the academic community will inform “the person in charge of SAP” of the validation and the latter will inform the director of the organic unit/service.
In any case, the member of the community must contact the person responsible for SAP, by phone (21 751 55 00) and/or email: info@ulusofona.pt