Covid hits: what to do (a post for foreign parents)
It's been a struggle, but our hopes are high; our minds and hearts are with those at home, doing our best, caring, and supporting our students. We know that it's been difficult for some of you, and we want to help in every way we can.
Hence, here's what happens when Covid hits:
First: we identify the case, confirm, and isolate the group. We send students home, where they will have online classes, keeping up with school activities. We inform the DGS, who sends an SMS to the person to be tested.
Second: you’ll get an SMS (text message) from the SNS (national health services). In that SMS you'll find the date, the analysis number, the access code, and the taker code. You will also be asked to visit a specific website (sns.gov,pt/cidadao). On that website, you'll find a list of the locations where you can be tested. Scroll down for laboratorios referenciados para testes COVID-19 and click on that sentence. A new page opens. If you scroll down, you'll discover Instituições de apoio à Covid-19 so that you can find the nearest testing location. You have 3 boxes:
Tipo - type of institution
our advise if for you to choose either ADR - comunidade - it will show you the Congress Centre in Estoril (centro de congressos do Estoril) or Posto de Colheira COVID-19 (you'll find a list with clinics and laboratories that can take the PCR test) around your location.
Distrito - choose Lisboa
Concelho - the municipality you are living (cascais, oeiras, sintra or Lisboa, to name the most probable ones)
Third: Get there as soon as you can and wait for the results (either by text message or email) .
Fourth: inform us about the test result.
Then, some students can get back to school after a few days, depending on the level of risk and their vaccination date (in case they are vaccinated). Infected students, staff, or teachers will have to follow the guidelines and procedures for Covid.
A short glossary:
DGS = National Health Management, meaning that this is the National Health Authority depending directly on the Health Ministry.
SNS =National Health Services, a national public structure to facilitate and guarantee access to healthcare to all citizens.
Regarding Covid, DGS provides guidelines, and SNS implements them.
