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Schools will only be closed in case of “high risk” and the screening of who has been in contact with patients with covid-19 will be carried out “preferably within 12 hours after the identification of the case”, recommends the Directorate General of Health (DGS).
These are some of the measures provided for in the “References Schools – Control of the transmission of Covid-19 in a school context”, which was published this Friday and is available on the DGS website, but which will continue to be “the subject of contributions to improve and consolidate”, according to information from the General Directorate.
What if it infects me?
No document, DGS explains that two confirmed cases of covid-19 in a school are enough to be considered an outbreak, but that only in “high risk situations” the health authorities choose to close the educational establishment.
The first options pass close only one or more classes, or close “one or more areas of the educational or teaching establishment.” As a last resort, the entire school closes.
“The closure of the entire educational or teaching establishment should only be considered in high-risk situations in the establishment or in the community. This measure can only be determined by the local health authority, involving decision-making by the regional health authorities and national. ”, says the DGS document that the Ministry of Education will send to all schools.
Measures to take
The measures to be adopted depend on a set of factors ranging from the distance between people, the arrangement and organization of the rooms and the organization of the educational establishment itself. The document says that another factor to take into account is the time that passed from when the symptoms of the disease began to the identification of the suspected case.
The DGS highlights the importance of “rapid action and application of measures” by the local health authority, but also of coordination between the different agents of the educational community to control transmission in the school context.
Among the measures is tracking who has been in contact with the patient: “The selection of contacts should begin immediately after confirming a case of covid-19, preferably within 12 hours after the identification of the case, including contacts in the school (students, teaching staff, non-teaching staff), partners and contacts from other contexts that may be relevant ”, reads the reference published today.
The impact of closing schools
In the event that the health authorities choose to temporarily close the school, its reopening is subject to a new decision by said authorities when they consider that the epidemiological situation is controlled and does not represent a risk for the school community.
In the document, the DGS also points out the negative impacts of school closings and confinement: “Although they are necessary measures to control an epidemic, they have an impact on the social, mental and environmental determinants of health, which can be reflected in consequences for the physical, psychological and social well-being of students. These consequences will also tend to increase existing social and health inequalities ”.
Additional clarifications
The document published today also presents a chapter with questions and answers to the main questions that have emerged during the pandemic. The first question is whether children have a lower risk of contracting COVID than adults.
The DGS clarifies with the information available so far: “According to the World Health Organization (WHO), pediatric cases represent only about 1 to 3% of reported SARS-CoV-2 infections worldwide. However, they appear to be as susceptible to infection as adults, despite having mild or asymptomatic (without symptoms) forms of the disease. Further studies are underway to assess the risk of infection in children and young people. “
Countdown to the beginning of the school year
Classes begin between September 14 and 17 and get back in person, after schools closed in mid-March in the last academic year due to the covid-19 pandemic.
The students began taking distance classes. At the moment, the plan is to return to face-to-face education, but schools say they are prepared in case it is necessary to temporarily switch to a mixed or distance system.
Minister says families should rest
The Minister of State and Presidency, Mariana Vieira da Silva, guaranteed that schools are prepared for the new academic year and that they already have the necessary guidelines to combat the pandemic.
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