FAQ

Registration

Who can attend?

How do I register?

You can register on the following link https://debconf19.debconf.org/accounts/login/?next=/register/step-0

How do I apply for bursaries (sponsorship) for accommodation/food/travel?

Fill in the online registration form, and follow the instructions at https://debconf19.debconf.org/about/bursaries

How were the travel bursaries allocated?

This year's travel sponsorship process was as as follows : Each applicant was given a self-assessed financial need score from 3 down to 0, according to the menu option selected (with 3 as "Without this funding, I will be absolutely unable to attend"). Two bursaries team members were asked to give two scores : one for the "contribution to debian/debconf", and one on "diversity and inclusion criteria". A third referee was assigned in the case the first two scores were too far apart.

We then worked our way through applications based on the rule that people whose financial need was at least as high, and whose "contributor/D&I score" as strictly higher (or vice-versa) should be funded first.

Are food and accommodation included in the professional and corporate registration fees?

No. While in the past the registration fees have included food and accommodation, this has often led to confusion and frustration on the part of our paid attendees. Also, in years when the conference is in a city, our corporate and professional attendees sometimes prefer to book their own hotel rooms rather than stay in the conference accommodations. To simplify the registration process, since DebConf13 the registration fees are kept separate from self-paid food and accommodation.

If I'm self-paid, can I stay in the same place as the sponsored attendees?

Yes, you must contact the hotel yourself, make your reservation and payment. Participants of DebConf19 will have 5% discount in hotels.

How much does food cost?

You can buy tickets for lunch and dinner. At the registration you can tell which meals on which days. The cost of a food ticket is $ 5.00

I have someone accompanying me, do they need to register as well?

The accompanying persons need to be registered in the following cases:

Children

Please note that everyone is welcome to attend, and we encourage accompanying friends or family that might have any interest in joining our community to register for the conference, too!

A childcare service will be available at DebConf19. We did not receive any childcare request, so we canceled it.

What are the options to get around?

Venue

I need directions to the venue.

You can find some useful informations on how to get to the venue [https://debconf19.debconf.org/about/venue/].

Where can I find a map of the venue & surrounding area?

Is the venue accessible to people with disabilities?

The venue is fully wheelchair-accessible. Most of the conference rooms are located on the main floor on the venue, and other floors are accessible by elevator or escalator. If you plan to travel by subway, please note that subways station near the venue are not equipped with elevators. Please indicate in the registration form if you require any assistance to fully enjoy the conference.

How safe are the rooms? Can I leave my stuff there?

It is not recommended you leave your valuables unattended in classrooms or in conference rooms.

We nevertheless don't recommend that you leave valuables in the dorm unless you fully trust your four other flatmates.

Where can I smoke?

By LAW N. 16.239 FROM 29/09/2009 The use of cigarettes, cigars, pipes, pipes or any other tobacco product, whether or not derived from tobacco, that produce smoke, and the use of electronic cigarette, is prohibited in the territory of Paraná, in environments of collective use, whether public or private. You can smoke outside the venue.

Where can I park my car / van / RV?

Pina Estacionamento Address: Avenida Silva Jardim, 750

Misc

Where can I check what cheese & wine is expected so as to prevent duplicates?

Where can I shop for groceries or other such things?

You can buy at Festval Estação supermarket http://www.superfestval.com.br/ address: Av. Silva Jardim, 506 - Rebouças, Curitiba

What are the payment options in local shops and restaurants?

Credit cards are widely supported, from small corner stores to department stores. If you have Visa or Mastercard, you should be able to use them nearly everywhere.

Are there ATMs I can use?

At the airport there is an ATM International and in the Estação Shopping Mall there are ATMs of a national network called Banco24Horas where it is possible to use transactions with cards of the international brands.

SIM cards

As described on the National Telecommunication Agency – ANATEL website, foreign visitors can purchase a SIM card. To get a SIM card is simple, just the passport to register. We recommend the purchase of SIM cards at the operators' booths at Estação Shopping Mall, located near UTFPR.

Probably the best option will be a prepaid plan. Weekly plans range from $15~$40 BRL ($4~$12 USD) and have a data franchise of 1.5GB~3GB. The operators have 4G/LTE coverage and more details can be obtained on their respective websites:

Claro OI TIM VIVO.

Those who need to voice calls should consider hiring an international roaming package with their telephone operator.

Power plugs and adapters

The voltage for power plugs in Curitiba is 127v.

Brazil, which had been using mostly Europlugs, and NEMA 1–15 and NEMA 5–15 standards, adopted a (non-compliant) variant of IEC 60906-1 as the national standard in 1998 under specification NBR 14136 (revised in 2002). These are used for both 220 volt and 127 volt regions of the country, despite the IEC 60906-2 recommendation that NEMA 5-15 be used for 120 V connections. There are two types of sockets and plugs in NBR 14136: one for 10 A, with a 4.0 mm pin diameter, and another for 20 A, with a 4.8 mm pin diameter. This differs from IEC 60906-1 which specifies a pin diameter of 4.5 mm and a rating of 16 A. NBR 14136 was not enforced in that country until 2007, when its adoption was made optional for manufacturers. It became compulsory on January 1, 2010.

This is what 10A NBR 14136 plugs and sockets look like:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/44/NBR_14136_plugs_and_outlet.jpg/320px-NBR_14136_plugs_and_outlet.jpg

Adapters are easy to find.

Laptop batteries and computer stuff

If you need to buy a new battery for your laptop or something else related and you do not want to do it online, you can check the next stores in Curitiba:

*Casa do Notebook https://www.casadonotebook.com.br/ address: Av. Sete de Setembro, 3574 - loja A - Centro, Curitiba - PR

Bringing more than one computer to Brazil

There's no regulation requiring that you can bring just one computer. You can read more about travel brazilian regulation here

Curitiba Forecast Weather

DC19 will be during the winter, but don't expect snow as in European winter, because it happened just twice in the history. The first time was one day in 1975 and the second time was in 23 July 2013 during about 15 minuts :-) The average temperature in July is 13° Celsius (55,4 °F)

Vaccination

This section has been move to the official website. Please see https://debconf19.debconf.org/about/venue/ for more information.

Vaccination is not required to enter Brazil.

Curitiba is not in the outbreak area, but it's recommended to take a vaccine against yellow fever.

The United Kingdom’s National Health Service advises to:

  • Confirm primary courses and boosters are up to date as recommended for life in Britain (seasonal flu vaccine, MMR, vaccines required for occupational risk of exposure, lifestyle risks and underlying medical conditions).
  • Take courses or boosters for diphtheria, hepatitis A, tetanus.
  • Also consider vaccines against rabies and typhoid.

Please also make sure you’re informed about malaria and risks associated with it. Curitiba is in the low risk area, so antimalarial tablets are not usually advised, but precautions are essential.

For more information, see https://www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk/destinations/south-america-antarctica/brazil

Some information in Portuguese: https://portal.fiocruz.br/pergunta/estrangeiros-precisam-se-vacinar-para-visitar-o-brasil

Yellow Fever

Acoording to the Paraná's State Office of Health, if you are going to do some type of ecological tourism, in rural areas of the regions with vaccination recommendation - ACRV, the vaccine against yellow fever is highly recommended. A single dose gives protection for a lifetime.

Regional of Health of Paraná and respective areas with and without recommendation of vaccine against yellow fever, Curitiba is the number "2" in the map. The dark gray are the cities with recommendation of vaccine against yellow fever.

Data about yellow fever in Paraná State

Vaccines for those coming to Brazil

If you need to take the vaccine when you are in Curitiba, there is a public hospital near the venue that gives the vaccine for free.


CategoryDebConf19

Medical

Is there a medical store or drugstore nearby?

Yes, a lot! There are 2 in the Estação Shopping Mall Farmácia Panvel https://www.panvel.com/ Farmácia Nissei https://www.farmaciasnissei.com.br/ Farmácia Drogaraia https://www.drogaraia.com.br/

How much would a doctor visit cost for cold, cough or something simple like that in case the medicines need a medical prescription?

This is hard to answer because most people use either the public health service, or a private health insurance plan, where you don't pay directly for the appointment. That said, there is a public health unit pretty close to the venue, and a few private clinics and hospitals.

Security

I'm concerned about security. How should I behave?

See the Security recommendations at visitbrasil.com, the official Brazilian tourism website. See also this thread on debconf-discuss


CategoryDebConf19