The Public Health Unit (USP) the Local Health Unit of Baixo Alentejo (ULSBA) is closely monitoring the Legionella outbreak discovered on the premises of the Beja and Cuba railway stations, owned by Infrastructures of Portugal (IP).
In response to questions posed by Lidador News (LN), the director of USP/ULSBA, revealed that the results of the tests were known last Sunday, 24 November, and that immediately “the use of showers and taps was suspended in the Beja and Cuba facilities”, adding that in the closed locations “cleaning and disinfection were carried out, by application of biocides using chemical shock”, revealed Sara Duarte.
Although there are no known infections in any professional at the Beja and Cuba stations,, “some workers were placed on teleworking and others were relocated to other facilities”, assured the head of Public Health.
In the case of Beja station, within walking distance of sanitary facilities, there is a building where workers were placed, after the merger of 2015, between REFER and Estradas de Portugal, which gave rise to Infraestruturas de Portugal, hence some were covered by those preventive measures.
The head of USP/ULSBA also revealed to LN that “after 10 a 15 days of intervention, New water samples will be taken for a first assessment of the effectiveness of the corrective measures adopted.”, It is then possible to understand that the ban on the use of showers and taps is lifted.
On Thursday, LN was at Beja station where he was able to see that the sanitary facilities were properly signposted and closed, with the movement of employees and rail transport users was normal, situation of normality that was also experienced at the Cuba station.
Teixeira Correia
(journalist)
