Internal protocol for the COVID-19

Prevention, control and surveillance procedures

Comply with basic precautions for prevention and infection control in relation to the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak, including the procedures:

Hand hygiene: wash your hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer that has at least 70% alcohol, covering all surfaces of the hands and rubbing them until they are dry.
Respiratory etiquette: cough or sneeze into the flexed forearm or use a tissue, which should then be immediately thrown away; always wash your hands after coughing or sneezing and after blowing; avoid touching the eyes, nose and mouth with your hands.
Social conduct: change the frequency and form of contact between workers and between them and customers, avoiding (when possible) close contact, handshakes, kisses, shared jobs, face-to-face meetings and sharing of food, utensils , glasses and towels.
Comply with daily self-monitoring to assess fever: measure body temperature and record the measurement value and time, check for cough or difficulty breathing.
Comply with the guidelines of the Directorate-General for Health (DGS) for cleaning surfaces and treating clothes in establishments

Cleaning of environmental surfaces and laundry treatment

Protection of professionals responsible for maintaining guest accommodation in the accommodation

People who take care of the bed linen or bedroom of a suspected or confirmed case and people who clean in hotels and accommodation, provided they comply with the recommended protective measures and ensure control of exposure to the risk of transmission, do not take unnecessary risks. However, the risk of transmission may nevertheless be real in the event of an accident or if the recommended protective measures are not fully complied with. Hence the importance of all professionals having training and training and being protected with the appropriate PPE.
Define two different professionals or teams: one for removing clothes and making washing beds; another to perform cleaning, in two spaced intervals.
During the phase of a possible epidemic or in the face of a suspected case of COVID-19, the teams responsible for the treatment of bed linen and the cleaning of the rooms are more exposed to the risk of aerosols, so they must protect themselves, in particular, with the appropriate protective equipment (PPE) – mask, eye protection glasses, plastic apron over the uniform and gloves (preferably disposable, nitrile).
Uniforms and personal protective equipment (PPE) must be different, depending on the type of intervention or task and the risk of exposure.
These professionals’ uniforms should not be taken to wash at home – they must be machine washed in the hotel’s laundry at high temperatures. Preferably, leave a washing machine only for the clothes of the affected customers and the uniforms of the professionals.
After changing the bedding and towels in the room of the suspected or sick person with COVID-19, it is desirable to also wait a while (latency period) to start cleaning the rooms.

Change of linen in the rooms and cleaning and disinfection of the premises:

Since the bed linen change intervention generates aerosols, it is advisable to separate the two interventions: cleaning and linen (example: 2 different teams) and to allow a waiting time between these two tasks – respect a time of at least 2 -3 hours between removing sheets and bedding and towels and cleaning floors and surfaces.
Equip the professionals responsible for removing clothes and cleaning, with a gown, non-sterile gloves, goggles or visor and a respiratory protection mask.
When removing bedding and towels:
- Do not shake bedding;
- Remove it without shaking it, rolling it from the inside to the outside, making a “wrap”;
- Do not lean your clothes against your body;
The laundry must be washed at the highest temperature that it can withstand (depending on the thermoresistance) – heat disinfection cycle (at least 60ºC for 30 minutes, or between 80-90ºC, with 10 minutes of heat contact with the clothing) ;
If the laundry cannot be washed hot, it must be washed in the machine at a temperature between 30-40ºC and at a final disinfection cycle in the machine, with a disinfectant suitable for this type of laundry and compatibility with the machine.
The waste collected in the room, must be packed in a tightly closed first bag, which is then deposited in the 2nd bag. The 2nd bag must be identified as biological waste and treated by incineration or autoclaving.

Maintenance of environmental surfaces

Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) can probably survive for hours on dry surfaces and up to 6 days on surfaces with humidity.
Wet cleaning is always preferable to dry cleaning.
It is not suitable to use a vacuum cleaner to clean floors.
The use of a vacuum cleaner is not suitable, because they set the droplets in motion in the air, in which the virus may be contained and transform them into aerosols.
To equip the personnel in charge of cleaning floors and surfaces with an impervious smock, or plastic apron on the uniform, liquid-resistant single-use gloves, surgical-type mask.
Comply with the following for double cleaning floors and surfaces:
- Clean surfaces from top to bottom and towards the cleanest areas to the dirtiest ones;
- Use cleaning cloths for single use, different and exclusive for the bedroom area and for the bathrooms;
- The bathroom cleaning bucket and mop should, whenever possible, be different from the cleaning bucket and mop to be used in the room;
- To wash surfaces, detergents in common use can be used;
- For disinfection of surfaces: the World Health Organization (WHO) advises the use of bleach (sodium hypochlorite solution) in a concentration of at least 5% of free chlorine, and alcohol at 70º, for metallic or other surfaces, which not compatible with the bleach, in order to avoid corrosion or damage.

Cleaning and Disinfection of Surfaces:

If blood, respiratory secretions or other organic liquids are present, absorb the liquids with absorbent paper; apply the bleach diluted in water in the proportion of one measure of bleach, to 9 equal measures of water; leave to act for 10 minutes; iron the place with water and detergent; rinse only with hot water and allow to air dry; use a mask when diluting and applying bleach; open the windows for ventilation of the space;
For the common disinfection of surfaces: wash first with water and detergent; apply the bleach diluted in water in the following proportion: one measure of bleach in 49 equal measures of water; leave the bleach to act for 10 minutes; rinse only with hot water and allow to air dry;
Sanitary facilities must be washed and disinfected with a mixed cleaning product that contains both detergent and disinfectant in the composition, as it is easier and faster to apply and action;
Furniture and some equipment can also be disinfected after cleaning, with wipes moistened with disinfectant or alcohol at 70º;
If there is a kitchenette, wash the dishes at an elevated temperature; cleaning and disinfecting cabinets, countertops, tables and chairs, not forgetting to disinfect cabinet and door handles; then clean and disinfect the tap, washbasin and drain.
Clean walls up to arm’s length.
Clean the furniture;
Wash the bathroom, starting with the taps, washbasins and drains of these, then move on to the furniture, then the bath or shower, toilet and bidet;
The same procedure is repeated for the shower, not forgetting to clean the shower thoroughly, unscrew the shower head and wash and disinfect;
Toilet: apply the product that has the function of detergent and disinfectant simultaneously, inside and outside the toilet; Leave the product to act for 10 minutes to make the desired effect, scrub the inside with the toilet brush, flush the water with the toilet brush still inside the toilet so that it is also clean; Put the toilet brush to drain; Wash and disinfect the toilet brush holder; With another clean, single-use cloth, wash the outside of the toilet, starting with the top (the least dirty), followed by the top of the toilet and all the exterior parts with the same detergent / disinfectant; then rinse only with hot water and let it dry.
Finally, wash the floor of the premises.
Open the windows in the area and let them air dry.

What to do with the person who is sick or suspected of being sick by COVID-19 in the accommodation?

The current state of knowledge, it is recommended that:

The sick person must not leave the enterprise. You must stay in your room and call the professionals in the hotel’s administrative area, so that they can call the SNS24 line (808 24 24 24) who will assess the case and contact the Local Health Authority;
You should not go to the health center, private office or the hospital emergency room;
Wait for the instructions of the health professionals who will assist you and the clinical decision.
The accommodation must deliver a surgical mask to the person, teaching them to put on and adjust well to the face.
The Local Health Authority may choose to send the person to the reference Hospital in the area or not, depending on the patient’s clinical situation.
In suspected cases of COVID-19, cleaning and clothing professionals must wait for the result of the laboratory diagnosis to confirm the suspected or not suspected case, before starting the procedures for removing the clothes and cleaning.

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