Our approach to community

The school is here to support its community during these special times. Whether you are a student, faculty, or staff member, we have dedicated teams to help you in the academic and work dimensions and in learning what to do if you become at risk of contracting COVID-19. Three focal points have been established: Life at Nova supports students, Faculty Affairs supports faculty, and People & Culture support staff. This way, we aim to efficiently react while prioritizing our community's safety and health and ensuring the best learning experience by maintaining the presential classes and activities.

How can we help you?

Focal points help you with the whole process, from learning what to do in the first place to accessing testing for COVID-19 at better conditions, and at the same time, assisting our community's well-being. We also support you in understanding the procedures for when you miss classes/exams/work due to quarantine or illness.

We highly encourage every member of our community to act responsibly and reach out to the respective team in case of symptoms, confirmed infection, or high-risk contact. This way, the school can provide the most accurate information to avoid mismanagement of the disease. By tracing the contacts, we can slow down the spreading of the virus in our community.

Get tested for COVID-19

On campus: KPMG Gallery, no need to schedule. Open Mon & Wed - 2.30 pm-6.30 pm, Tue & Thu – 10.30 am-2.30 pm, Fri – 10.30 am-6.30 pm – Exclusive to Nova SBE Community

At national level: find the closest lab or pharmacy here

In Lisbon: Click here to find testing sites with free Rapid Antigen and PCR tests in Lisbon

Cascais: Check the weekly schedules and locations of the COVID-Bus here for free tests in Cascais municipality

Nova SBE Partnerships – tests at better conditions: NMS (PCR, Rapid Antigen), and Imunolab (see the end of this page for more information)

Ask for help

STUDENTS
Life at Nova
lifeatnova@novasbe.pt

FACULTY
Faculty Affairs
faculty.affairs@novasbe.pt

STAFF
People & Culture
peopleandculture@novasbe.pt

What should I do if…

  • Get tested (self-test, rapid antigen, or PCR), as soon as possible. Self-tests can be bought in pharmacies and supermarkets, rapid antigen and PCR are performed at a pharmacy, laboratory, or testing site, by a certified healthcare professional. For information on how to schedule tests, please check the "Get tested for COVID-19 section below.
  • Try to stay at home and self-isolate, as best as possible, until you know the result of your test. 

Current guidelines from health authorities recommend the self-management of COVID-related situations. Here, we provide you with a summary of the information available on how to act when testing positive, but keep in mind that in case of severe symptoms, or in case you find any difficulties in managing the process, you should contact the Saúde24 hotline (808 24 24 24). In case of emergency, you should contact the national emergency number, 112.

  • Please inform the appropriate contact from the school, so that we can follow up on your case and assist you
  • In case of light or no symptoms, positive cases should isolate for 7 days, starting from the day of the result of the positive test
  • If you tested positive using a self-test (at home), 
  • you must do a rapid antigen test or a PCR within 24 hours – these are more reliable and serve to confirm your infection with COVID-19. They are performed by a healthcare professional and get your case registered in the national health system, which is essential for health authorities to follow up on your case, so you can get a declaration of isolation and a certificate of recovery at the end. For more information on how to schedule tests, please check the “Get tested for COVID-19” section below (if you are unable to schedule a test within 24h of the positive self-test result, you should contact the Saúde 24 hotline, at 808 24 24 24)
  • Inform the people you have been in contact with:
    • High-risk contacts - people you live with who have not had the booster dose of the vaccine nor had COVID-19 in the past 180 days. They must isolate for 7 days and get tested twice: the first time up to 3 days after their last contact with you and the second time seven days after your last contact. If they test negative, they can leave isolation at the end of the 7 days
    • Other contacts - people you have been in close contact with in the 48h before developing symptoms or testing positive (whichever happened first); they must get tested (rapid antigen or PCR) in the next 3 days after being in contact with you. There is no indication for self-isolation in this period and they can do normal life after testing negative, staying attentive to the development of symptoms, and continuing to take the necessary precautions, in the following days
  • When you receive a text message from health authorities (SNS), complete the questionnaire included
  • As soon as possible, you will receive another text with a link to access your declaration of quarantine
  • In case of light or no symptoms, you can leave isolation after 7 days
  • If you live with someone who tested positive for COVID-19, and you have not yet had the booster dose of the vaccine nor have had COVID-19 in the last 180 days, you must isolate, depending on if you can stay separated from the infected case or not:
    • If you can be isolated separately from the positive case, you should isolate for seven days after the last contact with them, and get tested (rapid antigen/PCR) twice: the first test up to three days after you have last been with them and the second on the seventh day after the last contact
    • If you are not able to isolate separately from the positive case, you should isolate for 7 days from the day of the end of their quarantine, and get tested (rapid antigen/PCR) twice: the first test up to three days after the end of their quarantine and the second on the seventh day after the end of their quarantine
  • If you must be in quarantine because you live with a positive case, please inform the school of your situation, so that we can follow up on your case and assist you
    • If you have been in contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19 (but do not live with them) in the 48h before they developed symptoms or they tested positive (whichever happened first) you must get tested (rapid antigen or PCR), as soon as possible, but you don’t need to isolate. If you test negative, you can continue with your daily routines, keeping attentive to the development of symptoms and continuing to take the necessary precautions, in the following days

What exactly do we do to help you?

  • Let us know of your situation via email or phone for personalized support
  • Your pivot team will send detailed information on how to proceed
  • When you inform us about testing positive, you will receive an email explaining procedures in place and giving you guidelines on how to proceed. This email will also include a link to a survey, that will help us gather more information about your situation and possible high-risk contacts you may have from the Nova SBE community. It is very important that you complete the survey. We are in constant contact with the health authorities and this information will support their work.
  • After sending this first email and receiving your survey responses, the team will call you to better understand the situation and check the information submitted. The team will reach out to all high-risk  contacts providing information on how to proceed
  • The aim of tracing high-risk contacts is to accelerate the process done by the health authorities and guarantee that all risk people are informed and advised as soon as possible to minimize the probability of contagion

Contingency Plan

This document aims to disclose the essential aspects established by NOVA University Lisbon (NOVA) regarding the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). It informs Nova SBE’s community about this new disease, which measures are available to prevent and control the infection, and what are the procedures and measures to adopt when identifying suspected and/or confirmed cases. 
 

NOVA SBE CONTINGENCY PLAN

UNL CONTINGENCY PLAN

Get tested for COVID-19

The widespread access to testing is an important tool to fight the pandemic. Testing can save lives because it helps identify confirmed cases and notify people they came into contact with. This way, treatments can start in a timely fashion, and the disease's severity can be reduced. However, it must be used with reasonability and based on accurate information whilst following the health authorities' protocol above all. Don’t forget that testing does not eliminate the need for precaution, and even if you test negative you should maintain all safety measures.

Free Rapid Antigen Tests

The SARS-CoV-2 rapid antigen test detects the presence of the nucleocapsid antigen, which means the tests detect the presence of the virus in the body. It is also performed using a swab. The result typically takes 15-20 mins. The clinical sensitivity of these tests has been improving, and the health authorities now approve them as equivalent to PCR Tests for the effects of confirming infection and to end quarantine of high-risk contacts. However, the sensitivity level is lower than for PCR Tests, which means that the test is more likely to have false-negative results than the PCR. Rapid antigen tests can be done in pharmacies and laboratories, and currently, the Portuguese government subsidizes 4 tests per person and month. Find the pharmacy/laboratory with free tests closest to you here.

Get tested on campus - It is possible to get tested on campus, at the testing facilities located in KPMG Gallery. It is not necessary to book in advance, you only need your ID/passport, and it is free of charge (as per the current rules of 4 tests per month/per person). This is a service exclusive to the Nova SBE community. Currently, the opening hours are:

  • Mon & Wed – 2.30 pm-6.30 pm
  • Tue & Thu – 10.30 am-2.30 pm
  • Fri – 10.30 am-6.30 pm

Additionally, the COVID-Bus (managed by the Municipality of Cascais) is also available on Tuesdays (every two weeks, a complete schedule can be found here), at the campus entrance near Santander Money Club.

In Lisbon, besides the pharmacies and laboratories, free rapid antigen tests are also performed at testing sites – a weekly schedule is available here.

Rapid Antigen Test at Nova Medical School

  • Location: NOVA Medical School – Campo dos Mártires da Pátria, 130, 1169-056 Lisboa
  • Opening Hours: From Monday to Friday, from 9.30 am to 12.30 pm and from 2.00 pm to 3.30 pm
  • Price: 15€ (to be paid at Nova Medical School - NMS)
Register here

PCR Test at Nova Medical School

The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a method for detecting the genetic material of viruses, which measures the presence of the virus in the body. It is performed by using a swab. The result takes 24-48 hours. These are the "gold standard" tests for the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection.  

  • Location: NOVA Medical School – Campo dos Mártires da Pátria, 130, Lisbon
  • Schedule: Monday to Friday, 8.15 am-2.45 pm; Saturday, 8.15 am-10.45 am.
  • Price: 50€ (to be paid at NOVA Medical School – NMS)
Register here

Other Testing Options

IMUNOLAB

  • Rapid Antigen Tests – 18€
  • Selected labs (see below)

 

Imunolab Sede – Av. General Roçadas, 66C – 21 815 34 06 (12.00 am-6.00 pm)

Imunolab Picoas – Rua das Picoas 12, r/c – 21 353 04 46 (from Monday to Thursday, 8.00 am-12.00 pm and 1.30 pm-6.00 pm; Fridays from 8.00 am to 12.00 pm)

Imunolab Carcavelos – Rua Dr. Marques da Mata, n.º 151 R/C – 21 457 52 62 (2.00 pm-5.00 pm)

Imunolab S. Domingos de Rana – Estrada da Rebelva, 1216, Loja E, 2775-595 São Domingos de Rana – 21 453 65 43 (8.00 am-12.00 pm and 2.00 pm-5.00 pm)

Imunolab Pragal – Rua Galileu Saúde Correia, n.º 20, Loja A – 21 272 22 60 (2.00 pm-5.00 pm)

Imunolab Queluz – Av. da Liberdade n.º 23, Loja B – 21 430 26 55 (2.00 pm-5:00 pm)

Tracing High Risk contacts

Play your part in stopping the contagion

Tracing high-risk contacts is a process that the health authorities follow with everyone who tests positive and is a key measure to stop the spreading of COVID-19. According to the Portuguese health authorities, all high-risk contacts must quarantine for 14 days after the positive person's last contact, even if testing negative.

At Nova SBE, we track and proactively reach out to the high-risk contacts to facilitate and accelerate this process. In particular, in peak periods of the pandemic, health authorities have a lag in the process, and this additional time is critical to stop the contagion among our community. Everyone who might have been in a high-risk contact based on the confirmed case's answers is contacted by the school and receives guidelines on how to proceed. This way, everyone who might have been in high-risk contact with someone who tested positive can proactively reach out to the health authorities to confirm their level of exposure, take the necessary measures, and start their isolation before risking spreading the virus, if needed. The school aims to provide the most accurate information, thus easing stressful situations.

Cleaning and Disinfection

Cleaning and Disinfection

It is important to emphasize that the campus is thoroughly cleaned and disinfected every Sunday and whenever there is a report of a positive case on campus. The rooms and places where this person has been are sanitized as soon as the case is reported.

Well-being

Maintaining a healthy mind is essential in times like these. A site was launched to foster our community's well-being and help people keep up with useful activities during isolation, such as physical exercise and meditation. It also includes links to online shops and learning platforms to increase the productivity of the days spent at home. If help is needed, or just want to discuss well-being issues, contact sdw@novasbe.pt.

THRIVE

Specific information for Faculty

In case the professor needs to be isolated, he/she:

  • Informs students about the online classes and sends them the hyperlink
  • If TAs need to be isolated, they must coordinate with the course professor who will take over  the classes
  • If the professor needs to be isolated, he/she must coordinate with the Program's Academic Director and inform the Master's Program Manager

In case an alternative evaluation is required, the authorization is attributed by the Pedagogical Council. The alternative evaluation (format) is arranged by the Pedagogical Council and the course professor. If the professor needs to miss the exam, he/she should inform Faculty Affairs so that an alternative for proctoring can be found.

Bachelor's, Master's & Ph.D.'s

Back to Campus Guide

This document will be used as a General Guideline for the Academic and Campus Life during the Fall Semester of 2020/21 for the Nova SBE community. 

See document