COVID-19: We are in this together

Around the country, from the cape to the bluff, our disaster response volunteers are responding to requests for support from the Ministry of Health and Civil Defence. So far around 130 disaster response volunteers have given more than 1,500 hours to this response.

 With the shift to Level 1, meetings are no longer capped, but local Team Leaders will still be taking precautions and  assessing what face to face activities can recommence in their communities as the situation continues to evolve. 

All of our Red Cross Shops are able to open under Level 1 but as always, we will be diligent in maintaining all precautions necessary. Contact tracing and hand sanitiser will still be available and we will keep up regular surface sanitation.

Can't make it to a shop just now? Visit us online at our official TradeMe accounts. 

Under Alert Level 1 we are able to provide face-to-face classroom training. We will be minimising class sizes to enable social distancing, stop rescue breathing and keep a record of all attendees - as per normal - for contact tracing. Fixed hand sanitiser will be available in every room. 

It is important to note, that at Alert Level 2, the limits on gatherings to 10 people are not applicable to our classes as we are a tertiary training provider.

• Meals on Wheels continues to operate under Level 1, with strict protocols around physical distancing, handwashing and other good hygiene practice. We welcome the return of some of our volunteers who have had to support us in different ways during Level 4, 3 and 2.
• Community Transport services are able to operate again with each local service determining when and if to restart.  This will only  proceed under strict safety guidelines.

• The migration team is working to provide face-to-face support to new Kiwis during Alert Level 1. Guidelines for close contact delivery, transporting clients, in person counselling and home visit assessments will continue.
• We've been checking in with our volunteers, ensuring they’re supported and are comfortable continuing to be there for the people we help, while keeping a safe physical distance with their family/individual. 
• Messages from the Ministry of Health have been translated by our teams, with the support of refugee-background communities, into 15 languages: Amharic, Arabic, Burmese, Farsi, Kayah, Kinyarwanda, Nepali, Pashto, Rohingya, Somali, Spanish, Tamil, Tigrinya,Urdu and Zolai. They are available here. 
• We also know that global travel restrictions have significantly altered resettlement around the world. On 17 March 2020, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, and the IOM took steps to temporarily suspend refugee resettlement departures. The agencies noted that this is a temporary measure that will be in place only for as long as it remains essential. As the situation evolves, we’ll be working closely with MBIE to understand how these changes might affect new Kiwis.  

• Our Restoring Family Links service may be able to assist people whose contact with family members overseas has recently stopped due to illness or infirmity, including COVID-19, to check on their health and wellbeing.
• Red Cross’ Health and Welfare checks can be used by Kiwis who have recently lost contact due to COVID-19 and other illnesses with family members overseas, as well as people currently overseas who have lost contact with family members in New Zealand due to COVID-19 and other illnesses. A service model for domestic health and welfare requests is not within the scope of this service at this time. 
• You can find more information and help here.

• New Zealand Red Cross has widespread capacity to work remotely. We were first tested in this capacity in November 2016, following the earthquake which forced those of us in Red Cross House in Wellington to evacuate. Since then, we’ve worked hard to make sure that our teams across the country have a great ability to work flexibly and remotely as the situation continues to develop daily. 
• Under Alert Level 1 New Zealand Red Cross staff who have been working remotely, will begin to return to work under the principle of informed choice. This will mean that the return to workplaces will differ across regions and teams. All workplaces will be inspected by site managers to ensure appropriate sanitation measures are in place prior to the return of staff.