Santos port community discusses protocols to avoid the Indian strain

Representatives of ANVISA (the national health surveillance agency) in the Port of Santos detailed the expanded protocols for preventing the Indian Covid-19 variant. The measures were discussed at the headquarters of the Santos Port Authority (SPA) on May 24th in a meeting requested by the state-owned company and by the São Paulo state port authority. There is no record of any ship in – or arriving at – the Port of Santos complex that has the new strain. So far, the confirmed cases in Brazil are of crew members on a ship at anchor off the coast of the State of Maranhão.

Faced with detecting the Indian strain, the federal government extended the scope of the exceptional and temporary entry restrictions into the country of foreigners whose travels originate or pass through the United Kingdom, Northern Ireland, South Africa, and India. Travelers coming from these countries must remain in quarantine for 14 days. Therefore, the vessel will only be released by ANVISA after satisfactory verification of the requirements already adopted by the agency, as defined in Ordinance 653, of May 14, 2021.

The other actions adopted by ANVISA remain:

All foreign or national vessels must have a valid Free Sailing certificate prior to their arrival at the Port of Santos. The analysis takes place 24 hours before the ship is expected to arrive in Porto, and ANVISA is responsible for checking whether any medicine has been taken in the last 30 days, whether there are any crew members with signs and symptoms compatible with Covid-19, and if the Maritime Health Declaration has been evaluated. Other preventative measures include:

If there are any suspicions of Covid-19 on board, it is necessary to test all onboard crew members, suspend the ship’s operations, and prohibit anyone on board to disembark;

The Brazilian or foreign crewmember, before boarding, must quarantine for at least 14 days with daily temperature monitoring, clinical evaluation, and Covid-19 test performed on the day of boarding. Only after ANVISA’s satisfactory evaluation is the crew member allowed to board;

During the workday, the crew’s health and temperatures must be monitored daily;

The disembarkation of Brazilian crew and passengers at national ports is prohibited, except for in the case of the end of the workday, termination of the employment contract, or for medical or dental care through clinical evaluation at the time of disembarkation;

The landing authorization issued by ANVISA for repatriation purposes is subject to the prior presentation of an RT-PCR diagnostic exam with a “not-detected” result. The said examination must be carried out before disembarking, while still on the vessel.

In addition to SPA, Brazilian Navy, and ANVISA, other participants in the meeting included: the Health Secretaries of the municipalities of Santos and Guarujá; SOPESP representatives (union of port operators of the state of São Paulo); OGMO (the labor-management authority); SINDAMAR (the union of maritime navigation agencies of the state of São Paulo); VIGIAGRO (the international agricultural surveillance agency); CESPORTOS-SP  (the state commission for public security in ports, terminals, and waterways); the customs authority; and the pilotage service for the state of São Paulo.

Vaccination of port workers

Regarding the vaccination of port workers, after the announcement by the Ministry of Infrastructure on the re-prioritization of the category in the National Immunization Plan (PNI), the municipal agencies discussed the logistical strategies to accelerate vaccination as soon as the doses are available. The port community is committed and united around the application of vaccines.

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