Internal Protocol – regarding the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak
CORONAVÍRUS | SARS-CoV-2 | COVID-19
SARS-CoV-2 is a virus that causes the disease called COVID-19. So far the evidence points to its appearance in December 2019, in China.
COVID-19 affects the respiratory system and what may appear to be a common cold (flew) can progress to a more serious illness, such as pneumonia.
The most common symptoms are:
In most cases there is also:
In the most severe cases, breathing difficulties and even organ failure are observed.
It is known that the virus can take up to 15 days to manifest symptoms. In this way, it is possible for an infected person to spread the virus during an extended time window. Covid-19 can also be asymptomatic, which increases the risk of transmission, so it is important to have a preventive attitude, following a series of rules to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Happy Van is a Tourist Animation company that was born from the desire to bring the Algarve visitors closer to our material and immaterial heritage, and to the local communities. Focused on local development, we work on creative and experience tourism with a strong connection to our friendly vintage VW vans vans. Despite the new challenges that we now have to face, here we remain to make this approach with you!
We believe in the most cooperative, responsible and altruistic human being, respectful of others and with a focus on the global good of the planet. We know that there are difficult balances to make, but if we strive for the well-being of all and respect for diversity, we are sure that the world will return us much more than a pocket full of banknotes.
In these difficult and confusing times, we want to leave you a message of hope and confidence. It is also for this purpose that we accepted the Tourism of Portugal challenge for the Clean & Safe seal and its set of rules, with the aim of guaranteeing the protection and safety of all of us against SARS-CoV-2. For this, our prevention and control efforts are just as important as your collaboration and acceptance of the new rules that will allow us to resume the so-called “new normality”.
It is our hope that by being able to win this battle together, we will also be more human and deserving of the planet that shelters us.
We invite you now to read our Internal Protocol of the Clean & Safe Seal.
Index
Index
1 Prevention Procedures
1.1 Information
1.1.1 Personal Conduct
1.1.2 Social Conduct
1.2 Spaces and Circuits
1.2.1 Information
1.2.2 Bookings
1.2.3 Payments
1.2.4 Reception
1.2.5 Tours and Events
1.2.6 Transportation
1.3 Hygiene Plan
1.3.1 Clothing Hygiene
1.3.2 Equipment Cleaning and Disinfection
1.3.3 Cleaning and Disinfection of the Vehicles
1.4 Food and Beverage Tasting and Consumption Procedures
1.5 Prevention Procedures for Employees
1.5.1 Training
1.5.2 Personal, Professional and Social Conduct
1.5.3 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
1.5.4 Designation of those responsible
1.5.5 Stock of Cleaning and Disinfection Materials
1.5.6 Scales / Shifts / Meetings
1.6 Prevention Procedures for Customers
1.6.1 Personal Protective Equipment
1.6.2 Personal and Social Conduct
1.7 Prevention Procedures for the Organization
2 Procedures in Case of Suspected Infection
2.1 Identification of a Suspicious Case
2.1.1 Clinical criteria (symptoms)
2.1.2 Epidemiological Criteria
2.2 Adequacy of the Isolation Site
2.2.1 Location
2.2.2 Equipment and Consumables (PPE Kit)
2.3 Telephone Contacts
2.4 Waste Management
2.5 Hygiene
2.6 Employee Surveillance
2.7 Record of Acts / Incidents
This Internal Protocol for the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak is available on our website: https://happyvan.pt/ in the COVID-19 menu, as well as accessible to all our customers through our booking system. Verbal information about this Protocol will be provided by our employees at the beginning and during Happy Van’s activities. Here is all the information on how to comply with the basic precautions for infection prevention and control in relation to the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak.
The frequency and form of contact between Happy Van employees and between them, customers, partners and suppliers must be changed, avoiding (when possible) close contact:
This information will be available in signage inside each vehicle and in the spaces where the events take place.
All information, within the scope of Happy Van’s activities, will be distributed in digital / online support, except for some physical supports on the COVID-19 material that will be available in the vehicles and some promotional material and respective flyers / pamphlets printed before the COVID-19 outbreak.
From the responses to the questionnaire, if it is understood that the risk of contagion of this customer is high, Happy Van may cancel his participation in the tour or event. The client must accept to answer this questionnaire and accept Happy Van’s decision as to whether or not he can participate in the tour or event, and in what ways he should do it to ensure the maximum safety of all participants.
Should ensure, whenever possible, a minimum distance of 2m between clients and employees;
The cleaning and disinfection of the equipment used is the responsibility of each employee who uses it, and must be done after each activity / use, according to the rules applicable to each type of equipment.
After cleaning and disinfection, all cleaning utensils and equipment must be washed, disinfected, dried and stored in a closed and properly identified place.
Equipment Cleaning and Disinfection Instructions Table (Annex I)
Equipment Cleaning and Disinfection Registration Table (Annex II)
The cleaning and disinfection of the vehicles is the responsibility of each employee who will use the vehicle and must be done before each activity / use, in accordance with the rules applicable to each type of material existing in the means of transport.
Cleaning should always be done from top to bottom, and from the cleanest areas to the most soiled ones.
It is intended that, after being cleaned and disinfected, the first contact with the vehicle is made by customers, reducing the risk of contamination and spread of COVID-19
For Happy Van’s vehicles, the following guidelines are recommended for cleaning and disinfecting:
– Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to be used by the employee:
The employee must wash their hands with soap and water or disinfect them with 70o alcoholic solution before placing and after removing the surgical mask, gloves and protective clothing (plastic gown / apron), which after use must be closed in a bag and thrown into the trash. In the case of the employee using clothes other than the one he brought from home, these must be closed in a bag to be washed separately according to the rules in point 1.3.1.
It is possible to use household vacuum cleaners that have a water filter to retain the particles. However, it is recommended to use the existing vacuum cleaners in the cleaning and automatic washing centers.
After cleaning and disinfecting the vehicle, an identifying sign must be placed so that it is easily recognized that the vehicle was the subject of this hygiene procedure.
After cleaning and disinfecting vehicles, anyone other than customers and the driver is prohibited from entering.
In case of need to enter or use a vehicle marked as sanitized, the identifying sign must be removed, and the vehicle must be cleaned, disinfected and identified as sanitized again.
Weekly, it is recommended to use a moisturizer for skins and leathers for the careful maintenance of upholstery.
Intermediate cleaning (during trips and events) of the vehicles’ frequent touch surfaces is recommended, which can be performed with disinfectant with 70o of alcohol (as long as it does not affect the materials), in order to achieve a faster procedure. These are the listed surfaces, among others:
Table of Instructions for Cleaning and Disinfecting the Vehicles (Annex III).
Table for Registration of Cleaning and Disinfection of the Vehicles (Annex IV).
Happy Van has tastings of regional drinks and local products in many of its experiences.
All tastings that partners are responsible of, must guarantee the existence of an internal protocol for the prevention of COVID-19, and preferably adhere to the Clean & Safe seal. Compliance with these rules will be monitored by the responsible for Happy Van and its employees following visits to the respective establishments.
The food or beverage tasting service, which is the sole responsibility of Happy Van, will be reduced to bottled, packaged or pre-made products by third parties (Take-away services).
While servicing these products:
The equipment, which will be used to transport food or drinks to the respective places of consumption (suitcases, thermal insulation bags, or baskets), as they are frequently in contact, must be disinfected frequently and according to the rules defined in point 1.3.2 of this document.
This protocol is sent by email to all Happy Van employees, with specific training scheduled on all points of this Internal Protocol – related to the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak (Annex V).
How to comply with the basic precautions and rules of this Protocol, aiming at the prevention and control of infection in relation to the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak, namely:
It is mandatory to use Certified Masks (Surgical Mask, Respiratory Protection Mask FFP2, or other Certified Masks) for all employees and customers during trips and events, except in cases where this is not possible (Ex: theatrical performance, musical performance), opting for complementary measures such as physical distance.
It is the responsibility of the employee conducting a tour or event, to trigger the procedures in case of suspected infection (accompanying the person with symptoms to an isolation space outdoors, providing the necessary assistance and contacting the national health service).
In any case, colleague Paulo Ferreira should be informed by telephone, reporting the suspected infection and the steps taken with regard to isolation and assistance.
The stock of cleaning and disinfection materials is managed by employee Paulo Ferreira. For this purpose, a document for the use of vehicles / collaborators is prepared (Annex VII), which should be sent electronically weekly to: info@happyvan.pt.
It is mandatory to use Certified Masks (Surgical Mask, Respiratory Protection Mask FFP2, or other Mask provided it is certified) for all employees and customers during trips or events, except in cases where Happy Van justifies the opposite.
The client must accept to answer this questionnaire and accept Happy Van’s decision as to whether or not he/she can participate in the tour/event and in what ways he/she should do it to ensure the maximum safety of all participants.
The questionnaire should contain some of the following questions, among others:
The organization, surveillance, monitoring and maintenance of all good rules established in this protocol, the implementation of the legislation in force and the follow-up of the recommendations of the DGS.
The partners involved in the activities must have the Clean & Safe seal, or if they do not, they must present Happy Van with their internal hygiene and safety protocols. The organization must also ensure compliance with these internal hygiene and safety protocols.
It is up to the employee who is making the tour or the person responsible for the event to take the following measures in case of suspected COVID-19 infection, described in detail in the following points:
The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, cough, shortness of breath and tiredness, requiring hospitalization or not.
The following epidemiological criteria should be taken into account, among others, for the identification of a suspected case:
In the case of Happy Van’s tours and events, and since the company does not have a physical space, the place of isolation will depend on the type of Tour or Event to be held:
Each vehicle (tour) or each event is prepared with a PPE Kit that must be made available to employees and customers in case of suspected infection that includes:
The employee / customer must:
Then the employee must contact SNS 24 by phone and follow the instructions given by this line, as well as the person in charge of the company (Paulo Ferreira) who must be informed of the suspicion and in turn, must contact the Occupational Physician (Annex IX).
Telephone contacts:
Contacts:
Licensed Operators in Waste Management:
Waste separation must be maintained for unsuspected cases according to the type of waste (Glass, Paper, Plastic, Organic). In this case, PPE and tissues must be packed in a closed bag and placed in the undifferentiated garbage.
The cleaning of equipment and vehicle must be done according to the Plan proposed in point 1.3 of this document.
The Employee who had contact with a confirmed case must maintain active surveillance of COVID-19 symptoms, and perform the screening test.
The type of exposure of close contact will determine the type of surveillance:
All acts or incidents must be registered in a proper document (Annex XI), with the person responsible for filling this document (Paulo Ferreira).
Our History and Mission
Happy Van is born of a dream, as many are waiting to be realized. From the dream we set out to action and here we are to trying to contribute in our meager measure for a better world!
WHO WE ARE: Happy Van is a Creative Tourism and Experiences company that promotes entertainment on day and night tours for private individuals and companies, organized in Vintage VW Vans with guide / driver, local products tasting, good music, professional photography and lots of joy and excitement!
OUR TOURS ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS: Happy Van's day and night tours have departures from Albufeira, Vilamoura, Portimão, Carvoeiro and Lagos, making it "tailor-made" for any other needs. The pre-programmed experiments are as follows:
- Nature Tours
- Sunset Tours
- Romantic Sunset Tours
- Night Photography Tours
- Photographic Sessions
- Heritage Tours
- Handicraft Workshops
- Handicraft Kits and Products
- Artistic Shows (Theatre, Music, Fado)
- Craft Beer Tours
- Wine Tours
- Flavours Tours
- Food Tours
- We Cook For You - Home Cooking Experiences
- Tailor-Made Tours
- Weddings and Other Events
WHAT WE VALUE IN OUR EXPERIENCES:
- Happy, creative, intelligent, innovative and diversified approaches,
- The articulation not only with the tourism sector, but also with the other sectors of activity in the region (Canneries, Cellars, Restaurants, Biological Producers of Aromatic Herbs, Teas and Infusions, Spirits and Liquors, Pastry and Bakeries, Animal Derivatives Producers, Artisans ...).
- Quality, safety and diversification of our offer,
- Valuing the territory, its heritage, endogenous products and local identity, promoting the economy of the most disadvantaged populations and consequently reducing regional asymmetries and distribution of wealth, creating added value, reducing seasonality, reinforcing the positive image increase in employment in the region.
OUR RESOURCES: The company has at its disposal three Vintage VW Vans, ready to make the regular trips. Our employees are closely linked to the products and services we sell. With training in animation and arts and in-house training, from mechanics to animation and from commercial management to the history of the region, they are up to the challenge proposed.