São Paulo – With only 10 days of returning to mandatory face-to-face classes, teacher Rafaela de Ávila Cardoso, 8 months pregnant, started showing symptoms of covid-19. She was admitted yesterday (22) to the Semi-Intensive Care Unit of Hospital and Maternidade Santa Joana, in São Paulo, monitoring vital signs of her and her baby, taking corticosteroids, anticoagulants and other medications. The teacher works at the Municipal School of Elementary Education (Emef) Luiz Olinto Tortorello, in São Caetano do Sul, and reports that she returned to the school on February 5 due to pressure, since she did not have her requests to remain in home office accepted.

“My baby is fine, but the doctor decided to
hospitalization, as he said that the worsening in these cases can be very rapid. I went back to
work under pressure. I was unable to complete the accident report
Work (CAT), even with the 14-day certificate with the covid-19 CID. During
I was at home for almost 11 months and didn’t get anything. It was just coming back two weeks and
I was already sick ”, reported Rafaela.

Symptoms

According to the teacher, fearing she could return to school in the midst of the 19-covid pandemic, she asked the unit’s management to leave on February 5, which she was denied. “I asked the school board and they told me that no release would be possible unless I went on leave,” he said. Between February 5th and 10th, planning activities were carried out at the school. From the 11th, the teacher began to receive students.

The teacher says that she was informed that on the 9th a regulation would be published on the home office for employees of risk groups to covid-19. On the 15th, she felt the first symptom: shortness of breath, when climbing a ramp at school and reading a book excerpt for her students. At first, she thought it was a reflection of her own pregnancy. In the following days, he started to feel tired, pain, cough and fever. On the 21st, already showing symptoms for a few days, the teacher received confirmation of a positive test for covid-19. The ordinance that would guarantee the performance in home office it was only published today (23).

Need, insecurity, fear

The teacher commented that she understands the need to resume face-to-face classes, as it has been very difficult to maintain children’s interest and learning in class. online. At the same time, he believes that the return was surrounded by insecurity and fear, since the covid-19 pandemic has been getting worse since the end of last year. Today, São Paulo has the largest number of people admitted to the ICU with covid-19 of the entire pandemic.

“It is very difficult and cruel to feel pressured to
do something that you are very insecure and afraid to do. Come back
face-to-face classes at the time when we were in a possible 2nd wave. AND,
after 5 days with the students and 9 days in the school environment, I found myself with what I most
feared, testing positive for covid-19. With a feeling of helplessness as
right now I have nothing else to do but treat the symptoms and hope
let nothing too serious happen to me and my daughter. While my friends
they continue taking the risk in the classroom on a daily basis ”, said Rafaela.

A survey organized by the civil servants of the city of São Caetano, until yesterday (22), shows that schools in São Caetano do Sul already register 36 confirmed cases of covid-19. Of these, 34 teachers and staff and two students. In addition to 46 suspected cases, 44 of which were teachers and staff and two among students. All civil servants had to resume their activities, even those over 60, chronically ill or pregnant.

THE RBA asked the government’s position of interim mayor Anacletto Campanella Júnior (Citizenship), but did not receive a response until the report was published.