Health & Safety Measures

Receiving our guests safely is a priority to us. At Alfama Yellow House you can feel as if you are at home.

Alfama Yellow House obtained the Declaration of Healthy & Safe Establishment, given by Turismo de Portugal (Tourism of Portugal), which represents our commitment to comply with the guidelines of the Health Department regarding the containment of the Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak.

Our Top priorities for our guests, employees and suppliers are safety, comfort and well-being.

For this, we defined a dynamic internal protocol adapted to the outbreak of COVID-19. We reinforce our daily procedures to ensure that our team members and our guests feel confident and that our studios offer you an extremely clean and safe environment. In this context, the following preventive mitigation measures were created::

Training the employees of our team

All employees received specific information and/or training on the Internal Protocol for the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak, which includes:

– Basic precautions for prevention and infection control in relation to the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak, including the procedures:

– Hand hygiene: wash hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use hand sanitiser 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 fore arm or use a tissue, which must be immediately thrown away; hand hygiene always 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 team members and between them and guests, avoiding close contact.

Each employee performs daily self-monitoring to assess fever (measure body temperature and, if they see fit, register the number and time of measurement), check for coughing or difficulty breathing;

All Housekeeping workers have access to the guidelines of the General Health Direction for cleaning surfaces and handling clothes in the establishments, with cleaning and hygiene procedures having been developed/updated.

Information for all guests

The following information is available to all guests, through digital means (preferred) and in the accommodation itself:

How to comply with basic infection prevention and control precautions for the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak.

The Accommodation has

– Personal protective equipment in sufficient number for all employees, all of whom permanently wear masks and gloves (Housekeeping);

– Personal protective equipment available to guests. In case of need, the accommodation will provide personal protective equipment, such as offering a mask to the guest before entering, if they do not have one;

– The accommodation guaranteed a stock of cleaning materials proportional to its dimensions.

– Dispensers of alcohol-based antiseptic solution or alcohol-based solution are available in all apartments.

– All studios have waste containers with non-manual opening and plastic bags;

– In case of need, the accommodation will provide a ventilated place to isolate guests or collaborators that may have been detected as suspected cases or confirmed cases of COVID-19, with a bathroom, stock of cleaning materials, surgical masks and disposable gloves, thermometer, autonomous waste container, waste bags, used clothes collection bags, kit with water and some non-perishable foods.

The Accommodation ensures

– Washing and disinfection, in accordance with the internal protocol, of the surfaces where employees and guests circulate, ensuring the control and prevention of infections and resistance to antimicrobials;

– Cleaning of surfaces and objects in common use several times a day (including doors, tables, light switches, door handles, cabinet handles);

– Wet cleaning will be preferred over dry cleaning, and the vacuum cleaners used have HEPA filters (High Efficiency Particulate Arrestance), which are highly effective against viruses and bacteria.

In addition, we will let the apartments vacant for 24 hours, before cleaning them.

The cleaning and sanitising procedure guarantees

– A procedure was created with the definition of specific care for changing bedding and cleaning in the rooms, privileging two spaced intervals and with adequate protection;

– The removal of bed linen and towels will be carried out without any shaking, instead rolling it outwards, without touching the body and placing it inside a closed bag for later transport to be washed.

– The washing of employees’ uniforms and bed linen/towels will be carried out separately and at high temperatures. Uniforms were replaced to allow them to be washed at high temperatures.

The operation ensures

– There is always one person prepared to start the necessary procedures in case of suspected infection (if needed, they will accompany the person with symptoms to the isolation space, provide them with the necessary assistance and contact the National Health Service +351 808 24 24 24);

– The decontamination of the isolation area or apartments whenever there are positive cases of infection and reinforcement of cleaning and disinfection whenever there are patients suspected of being infected, especially of the surfaces frequently handled and most used by them, as indicated by the Health department;

– The storage of waste produced by patients suspected of infection in a plastic bag that, after being closed (e.g. with a clamp), must be segregated and sent to a licensed operator for the management of hospital waste with biological risk.

In addition, some measures and/or suggestions were implemented in order to contain the spread of the virus in Portugal.

Although confinement and quarantine are no longer mandatory, it is mandatory to wear a mask in public transport, shopping centers/stores and restaurants, as well as in social situations. It is also recommended that you disinfect or wash your hands as many times as possible and as necessary and maintain social distance. When going to commercial establishments, choose to make payments using the contactless option to minimize the risk of exposure. For your convenience, we suggest that you choose to use the materials available in the studio or the option of home deliveries or take-away.

Symptoms of COVID-19

Coronaviruses are a group of viruses that can cause infections in people. Typically, these infections are associated with the respiratory system, and can be similar to the common flu or progress to a more serious illness, such as pneumonia.

The most frequent symptoms associated with this infection are:

– fever (temperature equal to or higher than 38ºC)

– coughing

– difficulty breathing (e.g. shortness of breath)

Sore throat, runny nose, headaches and or muscle and fatigue may also occur. In more severe cases, it can lead to severe pneumonia with acute respiratory failure, kidney and other organ failure, and eventual death (in sns24.gov.pt). Find out more information at: covid19.min-saude.pt

If you have any of these symptoms, please call: +351 808 24 24 24

Enjoy your stay with us and if you have any questions or suggestions, please do not hesitate to contact us.