A national network of back-up support structures will be created as part of measures to combat the Covid-19 disease pandemic, and taking into account the progressive increase in cases of infection and the number of outbreaks in homes for the elderly.

The order that operationalizes this network, signed by the Minister of Internal Administration, the Minister for Labor, Solidarity and Social Security and the Minister for Health, is already published in Diário da República .

The national network of back-up support structures, supplementary to the network already constituted by the municipalities, will guarantee support to people infected with the new coronavirus, without the need for hospitalization, and to home users for elderly people who need specific support outside respective facilities.

The District Civil Protection Commissions are responsible for identifying and proposing, for each of the districts of the continental territory, the infrastructures capable of accommodating the back support structures, with the Secretaries of State coordinating the execution, at the Government level, of the situations of alert, contingency or calamity, decide its installation.

The back support structures must comply with the technical criteria defined by the Directorate-General for Health and the Social Security Institute.

 

The Social Security Institute will guarantee technical coordination, ensure the allocation of direct action assistants and general service assistants, as well as the distribution and maintenance of personal protective equipment to auxiliary personnel.

Each Regional Health Administration, in liaison with the hospital in the reference area, will provide the medical and nursing staff necessary to monitor the installed people, ensure the distribution and maintenance of equipment, as well as PPE to the installed people and medical personnel. and nursing. It will also contract the hospital waste collection service.

In the area of ​​implementation of each rear support structures, the respective municipal civil protection service provides the necessary support, within the scope of its competences. User admissions must be validated by the specialized Covid-19 District Civil Protection Subcommittee or, failing that, by the District Commission.

 

The National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority monitors the activity of the rear support structures, their occupation and any constraints that may occur.