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Because UMinho students are public health agents
Portal Académico > EN > Students > Because UMinho students are public health agents

 Because UMinho students are public health agents


The University of Minho will start the academic year 2020/2021 in a scenario of “conditioned normality”, combining face-to-face and online activities, at different times for different academic years and / or courses, and reducing the capacity of the pedagogical spaces.
However, the threat underlying the pandemic caused by COVID-19 remains. Therefore, it is essential that the academic community, acting with maturity and responsibility, assume a commitment to the prevention of COVID-19, since the containment of the disease and the protection of the most vulnerable citizens depends, to a great extent, on everyone and each one of us.
At times like this, we all have doubts and questions to ask. For students to be effective public health agents, what behaviors should be adopted? This is what follows.

What basic hygiene and respiratory etiquette should I take?
I must avoid touching the eyes, nose and mouth. I must wash my hands frequently, with water and liquid soap, rubbing them well for at least 20 seconds. I must reinforce hand washing before and after contact with food, after using sanitary facilities and after contact with surfaces in public places (door handles, elevator buttons, public transportation, etc.). Alternatively, for hand hygiene, I can use an alcohol-based antiseptic solution.

What distance care should I take?
I must promote physical distance from other people and avoid staying in places that are crowded and closed, without absolute need. I must also avoid compliments with physical contact.

Should I be more aware of my health status?
Yes. I must perform daily self-monitoring of signs and symptoms, measuring the temperature in the morning and at night and paying attention to the occurrence of symptoms compatible with COVID-19, such as: cough, fever (temperature equal to or greater than 38ºC), breathing difficulty, headaches, loss of smell, tiredness, among others.

What should I do if I have symptoms compatible with COVID-19?
If myself or any of the people I live with show symptoms compatible with COVID-19, I cannot go to the University. In this situation, I must contact the SNS24 Line (808 24 24 24) or the P5 Digital Medicine Center (253 144 420) and proceed according to the instructions provided by health professionals.

What should I do if I have had contact with a suspected case of COVID-19?
If I have had contact with a suspicious case, I can go to the University as long as I remain asymptomatic. However, as a precautionary measure, I must proceed with active and daily surveillance of signs and symptoms for 14 days, counting from the date of the last exposure to the suspect case.

What should I do if I have had contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19?
If the type of contact is considered to be of high risk, by the health authorities, I cannot go to the University until I get permission to do so and I must proceed according to the instructions received from those authorities.
If the type of contact is considered to be of low risk, I can go to the University as long as I remain asymptomatic. However, as a precautionary measure, I must proceed with active and daily surveillance of signs and symptoms for 14 days, counting from the date of the last exposure to the confirmed case.
These are contacts with low exposure risk: sporadic contact with a case of COVID-19; contact face to face in an open environment, at a distance of less than 2 meters, for less than 15 minutes; contact in a closed environment, at a distance greater than 2 meters or for less than 15 minutes; protected contact, that is, with the correct use of a mask, even in a closed environment, regardless of its duration.

What should I do if I experience symptoms of COVID-19 when I am at the University?
If I experience symptoms of COVID-19, when I am at the University, if I am in a class, I must inform the professor; if I am in another context, I should preferably, by telephone, inform the Course Director or the President of the Pedagogical Board and follow the instructions given to me, in accordance with the provisions of the Internal Contingency Plan for the prevention of COVID-19 ( www.uminho.pt/PT/viver/COVID-19/).

What should I do if I have to miss face to face classes because I am quarantined or isolated?
I must inform the Course Director of the conditions that originated the situation, so that the necessary actions are taken in relation to colleagues and teaching and technical staff with whom I contacted and so that I can benefit from face-to-face classes absences approval.

When can I go to campus?
Only when I have face-to-face classes, when I have booked a session at the library, when I have scheduled an appointment with a professor or service, to go to canteens or other food services, when I have an appointment with the medical and psychological support services or when I go to play sports.

What should I do when I arrive on campus?
I must make sure that I have the mask on properly and go straight to the building where the action that I am going to perform will take place. I must keep in mind that the eventual use of a visor does not replace the use of a mask.

What should I do if I have forgotten the mask?
I should go to the nearest mask dispenser on campus and buy a mask.

When I get to the building, what should I do?
I must enter the building through one of the indicated doors, disinfect my hands and follow the marked path towards the room where I shall perform the action, circling on the right and keeping the safety distance. Dispensers of alcohol-based antiseptic solution are located at the entrance to buildings, on each floor, next to elevators or stairs and in other places where the number of people or the distance justifies.

When I arrive at the classroom or the room where the action will take place, what should I do?
I must make sure that I have the mask properly placed and follow the indicated route towards a place marked with a green couplet, avoiding unnecessarily touching surfaces and objects.

During a class, a meeting or another action how should I behave?
I must keep the mask, always well placed, covering the nose and mouth. I must not move around or move or change the orientation of the table and chair. I cannot remove the mask to speak, so as not to jeopardize the effectiveness of the protection. I must follow the respiratory etiquette rules.

How should I enter and leave the classroom?
The entrance and exit of the room must be phased and arranged in order to avoid crowding. The rooms must be open during use. In the event that a queue is formed at the entrance, I must keep and demand that other people keep the safety distance. To leave the room I must follow and oblige to follow the order indicated by the professor, keeping the safety distance.

At the end of a class, should I leave the room?
No. It is mandatory to leave the classroom only at lunchtime and at the end of the school day, as scheduled.

What should I do after leaving the room?
I must wash or disinfect my hands and follow the established routes to reach my destination, maintaining the recommended physical distance.

Is it possible to be on campus without a mask?
The use of a mask is mandatory during the stay on campus, except for the moment of feeding. It is very important that I use it and that I contribute so that all my contacts use the mask correctly, during the entire time on campus.

It is advisable to install the STAYAWAY COVID app?
Yes. The application is free and allows me, in a simple and safe way, to be informed about risky exposure to the disease, by monitoring my recent contacts, without accessing my identity or personal data.

I'm a public health agent! Together we will beat COVID-19!