The Pinheiro e Rosa Secondary School, in Faro, was closed on Thursday, 18 June, after the detection of a case of covid-19 related to an employee and the students were transferred to another school in the group to continue to take face-to-face classes.

However, explained Francisco Soares, after detecting two more cases, the group decided to “permanently suspend the classroom activity” and place students in distance learning on 22 June, until Friday, 26 June, when the school year ends.

After detecting the two new cases - screened in a group of 19 people who had contacted the first infected woman - the school drew up a new list of contacts close to these employees, which also included elements of management and teachers.

The personnel included in this new group of 19 people were tested on Sunday morning, 21 June, and the results "are all negative", said Francisco Soares, who believes, therefore, that the school managed to circumscribe that focus of infection.

“I think we have achieved relative stability and I want to believe that we have the focus situation under control. We want to believe that there is no more infection within the school”, he stressed, attributing the“ success ”of the operation to the fact that the group has a“ good contingency plan”.

Employees who are infected and in isolation - and who are asymptomatic - are being accompanied by the school and their psychologists, who are also providing support to the entire school community that feels “more afraid”, added Francisco Soares.

The epidemiological investigation of this source of infection is being conducted by the regional health delegate of the Algarve, who will “identify and maintain in direct prophylactic isolation and surveillance the direct contacts of confirmed cases”.