Summer 2022
You can expect the following COVID-19 protocols while on any of our programs or affiliated programs the summer of 2022:
The projects are only open to participants who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and, when applicable, have received their boosters.
Mandatory COVID-19 testing before the project commences.
Living in a bubble.
Taking precautions to minimize exposure by social distancing and wearing masks.
In case a project participant gets ill with suspicion of COVID-19, there are numerous testing locations nearby, several of the doctors at the local health clinic speak English, and the town of Redondo has a robust COVID-19 protocol in place. Our projects follow the Portuguese Ministry of Health and the Public Health Service’s guidelines regarding isolation, health management, and recovery. We closely monitor these guidelines and adjust our protocol accordingly, and will assist our participants in any way we can.
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March 2020
In the past few weeks, we have monitored the situation closely both in North America and in Portugal. As the number of infections continue to rise, our concerns about the spread of infection from North America through travel and potential risk for exposure during travel have risen.
The Western Iberia Archaeology board has voted to cancel all WIArch field schools for the summer of 2020. As a gesture of good faith and compensation to our fantastic groups of students who had committed to digging with WIArch on various projects this summer, we’d like to offer you the opportunity to hold a spot on a future team.
Our thoughts and hearts are with you all during this time, and we wish you good health in the weeks to come. Please do not hesitate to write with questions, and feel free to reach out in the coming weeks or months as you plan for future summers.
You can expect the following COVID-19 protocols while on any of our programs or affiliated programs the summer of 2022:
The projects are only open to participants who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and, when applicable, have received their boosters.
Mandatory COVID-19 testing before the project commences.
- For US travelers going to Portugal, an antigen test is necessary to even get on the plane. If you travel from Europe/a country that does not have this testing protocol in place for travel to Portugal, we still ask that you test before joining the crew on arrival day. There is a testing location conveniently located at LIS airport. The cost of this test is the participant’s own responsibility.
- We will take US travelers to an approved testing location the day before departure: the cost of this test is the participant’s own responsibility.
- At present, the US requires an antigen test taken within 24 hours of departure for travelers returning to the US. These tests, with appropriate paperwork for travel, can be obtained in numerous locations in Portugal. If a participant does not plan to return to the US at the immediate end of the project, we are happy to provide directions for where and how to get the appropriate test.
Living in a bubble.
- None of the travel you do on these projects will be done via public transportation.
- You will live in a house only available to project members. No one outside the project has access to this house, and there are no doorways/hallways shared with non-affiliated properties.
- Allowing outsiders into this bubble is grounds for immediate dismissal from the project.
- Food will be delivered to the house.
Taking precautions to minimize exposure by social distancing and wearing masks.
- Portugal does not require masking in public spaces but we strongly encourage all our participants to bring a stack of KN95 masks and to use these whenever you are near non-project members. This includes stopping by the grocery store for an afternoon ice cream.
- Project travel will only be to locations that are deemed safe such as archaeological sites outdoors. There will be no travel to densely populated areas or sites where social distancing is not possible.
In case a project participant gets ill with suspicion of COVID-19, there are numerous testing locations nearby, several of the doctors at the local health clinic speak English, and the town of Redondo has a robust COVID-19 protocol in place. Our projects follow the Portuguese Ministry of Health and the Public Health Service’s guidelines regarding isolation, health management, and recovery. We closely monitor these guidelines and adjust our protocol accordingly, and will assist our participants in any way we can.
----
March 2020
In the past few weeks, we have monitored the situation closely both in North America and in Portugal. As the number of infections continue to rise, our concerns about the spread of infection from North America through travel and potential risk for exposure during travel have risen.
The Western Iberia Archaeology board has voted to cancel all WIArch field schools for the summer of 2020. As a gesture of good faith and compensation to our fantastic groups of students who had committed to digging with WIArch on various projects this summer, we’d like to offer you the opportunity to hold a spot on a future team.
Our thoughts and hearts are with you all during this time, and we wish you good health in the weeks to come. Please do not hesitate to write with questions, and feel free to reach out in the coming weeks or months as you plan for future summers.