Red Cross activates its contingency plan |17 March 2020

Members of the national committee and staff of the RCSS during the emergency meeting (Photo source: RCSS)

• Cancels all public standbys and first aid trainings

Members of the National Committee and staff of the Red Cross Society of Seychelles (RCSS) met yesterday afternoon in an emergency meeting at the national society’s headquarters, Providence.

The aim was to discuss updated information on COVID-19, now that Seychelles has registered three cases of the virus to date. And the Ministry of Health has called on the national society to assist with contact tracing.

As a result, the RCSS has activated its contingency plan to respond the request. The RCSS already has in place its contingency plan, detailing actions to be undertaken by the national society to respond to COVID- 19. The RCSS has been on alert since the announcement of the first registered case and is in touch with its volunteers.

With most of its resources taken up in the mobilisation of volunteers and equipment, the RCSS has also decided to cancel some of its services, such as First Aid trainings, standby and first aid assistance to public places, to give priority to the COVID-19 situation.

The contingency plan is in line with the national government COVID-19 communication and response plan and standard operating procedures and that of the RCSS disaster management plan and response.

The objective of the contingency plan is to strengthen the surveillance system and response capacity to the COVID -19 in Seychelles, and provide support to the Ministry of Health. The contingency plan also consists of a communication and media plan.

Discussions also centered on assistance that the RCSS can provide as and when the situation develops, keeping local and international partners and volunteers updated and the updating of the RCSS COVID -19 communication plan.

Being a member of the Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response Committee of the Ministry of Health, the RCSS’s main role will be to assist in social mobilisation, and contact tracing. During the emergency meeting, it was pointed out that RCSS volunteers still requires more training in contact tracing, interviewing skills and techniques.

The next step in the implementation of the RCSS contingency plan is to conduct trainings for volunteers in contact tracing as well as assist in the dissemination of information to the population on COVID-19, through different mediums such as the RCSS website, Face Book Page, media outlets and outreach.

RCSS communiqué