Guide for Covid-19 (last updated February 24, 2021)

Coronavirus Q&A:

Please check the latest advice from school and if in doubt contact either Sofia Gori our school nurse, or Ylenia Di Rossi our Facilities Manager and Covid-19 Coordinator.

The following Q and A is dependent on the region and colour - RED/ORANGE/YELLOW

Most answers below relate to a RED Zone situation but it is important to check the latest updates for Tuscany.

What are the symptoms of COVID-19? The most common symptoms are fever, dry cough and fatigue. A smaller group of patients can also present headache, muscle pain, sore throat, cold and diarrhoea. In the most serious cases this virus can lead to pneumonia, acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and death.

Who to call? If you present one or more of these symptoms please call your family doctor. He/She will give you advice on what to do next. Do not call 118 (emergency number) and do not go to the emergency room at the hospital unless you have an underlying health issue, such as asthma or another respiratory difficulty. If you need more information about COVID-19 the number to call is 1500. There is also another number you can call if you live in Tuscany and you have been in close contact with someone positive to COVID-19. This number, 800.556.060, is active from Monday to Friday from 9 am to 6 pm.

-What is the distance I must maintain between people? At least one meter

- What should I do if I have a fever? If the fever is above 37.5 C (99.5 F) call your family doctor. Stay at home, do not go to the emergency room.

- Can I travel to other countries? NOT advisable, except in emergency situations. See the current list of travel restrictions and quarantine periods available from Ylenia Di Rossi and regularly emailed to the community

- Can I travel for health related reasons? Yes, always

- Can I travel for work? Also to other counties? Yes, work related traveling is permitted. It is always important to bring with you the self-certification when traveling from one county/region to another one.

- I am outside of a red/orange where I live, can I get back? Yes it is permitted to return home.

-Who has to absolutely stay at home? Immunosuppressed people, elderly people and subjects with multiple diseases

-Are mass and other religious functions going to take place? NO

-Bars, ice-cream shops, restaurants can stay open? Yes in YELLOW, from 6 am to 6 pm and only if they respect the one meter distance rule between clients. In ORANGE and RED, take-away services only are available.

-Small and medium selling points? They will be closed during the weekend except grocery stores. Check the regulations at the time as this may vary.

- Pharmacies? Open regularly

-Preschools, schools, Universities? Dependent on regional regulations at the time.

-Meetings, conferences, events? Prohibited

-Pubs, movie theatres, gyms, swimming pools, museums, discos, libraries? Closed.

-Municipal Offices? Almost all the services are available online. Only for urgent matters services are guaranteed.

-Can I go grocery shopping? Yes, one member per family (depending on current decree)

-Can I go eat at my relative's house? It is not considered an emergency situation. The logic of this decree is to stay as much as possible in your own home to avoid the spread of this contagious virus.

-Can I take a walk with my kids outside? Yes in open spaces where the one meter distance rule is guaranteed. It is not prohibited to go outside, just avoid gathering of people.

-Can I assist my loved ones that are not self-sufficient? Yes, this is considered an emergency situation. Remember that elderly people are more at risk so protect them from getting infected.

- Are couriers allowed to work? Yes they will continue working.

- How is the vaccination system working? This is following national guidelines with some regional variation depending upon availability of different vaccines. This is the site to check https://prenotavaccino.sanita.toscana.it/ Teachers and school staff are described as 'frontline workers' and have already been called for vaccination.

- What about side effects? Yes, there are possible side effects that can last from between 24-48 hours generally. These might include fever, headache and tiredness; you will also probably have sore arm where the jab was received. Not everyone has side effects and some vaccines may behave differently than others. ALL VACCINES HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO HAVE SIMILAR EFFICACY and provide significant protection against infection or severity of infection.

-Will students be vaccinated? Children are not seen as a high risk and there are no plans currently to roll out vaccines to children up to age 18. This of course may change if variants change the nature of the virus.

Further Assistance

If you have further questions please do not hesitate to email the VP’s of Wellbeing, Toby Dean and Kelly-Jo Dean, or the School Nurse, Sofia Gori. The school nurse is available to answer any further questions. If you need to get in contact with your family doctor or paediatrician but do not speak Italian, email the nurse and she will be glad to help out.

Ylenia di Rossi is available to answer any non-medical questions related to school and regulations currently in force.