The ports of Paranaguá and Antonina adopt a series of preventive measures to control the new Coronavirus (2019-nCoV virus). The public company Portos do Paraná has intensified sanitary measures and crew control practices to minimize the risks of infection. Following international health regulations, the port authority follows a different protocol for vessels and crew members coming from epidemic areas.

The requirements for ships follow the guidelines of the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) and are published in Service Order 12/2020. The public company also establishes an even more intensive cleaning regime in biometric controls for access to bonded areas.

Posters with guidelines from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Ministry of Health are already displayed in the different environments of the ports of Paraná, in three languages: Portuguese, English and Mandarin.

Every day almost 3,000 people access the primary areas of the port of Paranaguá, including employees, partners, third parties and visitors. “Our terminals are the entrance and exit door for products and people to the world. As a port authority, we are aligned with the guidelines of national and international health organizations ”, says the director-president of Portos do Paraná, Luiz Fernando Garcia.

In the last week, from 22 to 28 of January, 960 visitors were registered, being 410 crew members.

This year, among the 156 ships that docked in the ports of Paraná, only two were from Chinese ports.

PROTOCOL – The Director of Environment for Portos do Paraná, João Paulo Ribeiro Santana, explains that viruses can enter the port environment in two ways: “first by sea, that is, a crew member coming from the affected region who is on board, another, by land, when changing the ship’s crew ”, he says.

For this reason, the protocol establishes that the maritime agent must inform the Port Authority about ships that originate from the regions officially reported as epidemic. “In these cases, a minimum of 21 days’ quarantine must be observed between leaving the previous port until the arrival here ”, says the director.

If the vessel arrives in the region before meeting this deadline, Portos do Paraná will ask you to wait at anchor at a location established by the Operations Directorate. “This is the time that, according to health authorities, allows the virus that is incubated to manifest”, adds Santana. According to the director, the time for incubation of the virus is 14 days, but 21 days have been established for greater security.

CREW – A crew member who flies to the Ports of Paraná, coming from the epidemic region, to take a working day on ships that are berthed, will be asked to present a medical certificate, confirming that they do not present any of the symptoms of the new virus.

In the access to the customs areas of the ports, the Environment Department intensified the cleaning of biometric accesses. “Transmission, like the flu, happens through air and contact. Therefore, we also reinforce the request for people to clean their hands before and after doing biometrics. We are making 70% alcohol available for everyone to use, ”says the director.

If any suspicious case arises, Portos do Paraná is in line with state and municipal health agencies and with Anvisa, regarding the procedures and referrals to be adopted.

SURVEILLANCE – The head of the Anvisa post, in Paranaguá, Roberto Busato confirms this articulation and says he is in direct contact with the Environment Directorate, mainly with the Occupational Safety and Medicine Section.

“It is very important that Porto continues to do the job of guiding, clarifying and calming the port community and the population in general. This action complements ours. As local authorities, we are sensitive, attentive and prepared for an eventual health emergency, which fortunately has not yet occurred ”, he concludes.

COMMUNICATION – Communication with the crew, port workers and service providers that access the areas of the Ports of Paraná is being done through posters. Posted in the main accesses, the materials bring basic information about the simple individual measures that can be adopted to minimize the risks of exposure to possible contamination, by this or other viral disease.

Coronavirus: What it is, symptoms and care

There is no confirmed case of Coronavirus in Brazil, but there is much speculation about the disease. The virus was identified in the province of Hubei, China, in January this year, after the alert of several cases of pneumonia in the city of Wuhan, in late 2019.

Since then, the World Health Organization has monitored the disease in China and worldwide. According to the latest WHO report (No. 9, 29/01/2020), 6,065 confirmed cases of the disease have so far; 5,997 only in the Republic of China. According to the report, there are no cases in South America.

TRANSMISSION – Coronavirus contamination occurs by air and by contact with contaminated persons, by secretions (droplets of saliva; sneeze; cough; phlegm; close personal contact, such as touch or handshake; contact with contaminated objects or surfaces, followed by contact with mouth, nose or eyes).

Symptoms are fever, cough and difficulty breathing. Basic care can reduce the risk of infection, including:

• avoid close contact with people suffering from acute respiratory infections;
• perform frequent hand washing, especially after direct contact with sick people or the environment;
• use disposable tissue for nasal hygiene;
• cover nose and mouth when sneezing or coughing;
• avoid touching mucous membranes in the eyes, nose and mouth;
• sanitize your hands after coughing or sneezing;
• not sharing personal items, such as cutlery, plates, glasses or bottles;
• maintain well-ventilated environments;
• avoid close contact with people who show signs or symptoms of the disease;
• avoid close contact with wild animals and sick animals on farms or farms.

Source: Portos do Paraná