GRC: Staff health information

Introduction

This is the new GRC Staff Health website where information about important issues pertaining to staff health can be found. Currently the site will focus on COVID-19 and relevant information. In the update section you will find latest information in regards to the epidemic, staff health guidance and measures taken by GRC. The external information sources provide a list of documents and links where further information can be found. Older information, which has been replaced by information posted under updates, will be stored in the archive.

Please be advised that, as a German Red Cross International Cooperation Staff member, you may contact our Staff Health focal point - Senior Health Advisor Dr Jürgen Ebbing - anytime via Email: hansjuergen.ebbing(at)germanredcross.de

Updates

In this section the most up to date information about COVID-19 will be made available:

General information

COVID-19 / SARS-CoV-2

The COVID-19 / Sars-CoV-2 (novel Coronavirus) situation continues to evolve rapidly. Towards the end of December 2019, authorities in Wuhan, Hubei province, China, announced a cluster of cases of pneumonia associated with the Huanan / South China Seafood Wholesale Market. Initially called 2019-novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), the virus was renamed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), and the disease it causes is called Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). While transmission may have initially been from animal/environment to people in Wuhan, this outbreak is now spreading from human to human.
There are now outbreaks in the large majority of countries and territories worldwide. The number of cases is increasing on a daily basis and further cases are expected, although the geographic extent and size of the outbreak cannot be predicted. On March 11th WHO declared COVID-19 to be characterized as a pandemic. More and more countries are taking unprecedented measures to stop the transmission between and within countries, requiring changes both in personal and professional life.

Overview of global situation:
https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/685d0ace521648f8a5beeeee1b9125cd

GRC general and Staff Health Guidance:

Please find all relevant background information about COVID-19 and how to protect yourself and others in IFRC’s Staff Health Guidance note:

COVID-19__guidance_for_staff.pdf
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Please find here the GRC communication concerning your personal risk profile:

18032020_Staff_Health_COVID-19_risk_groups.docx
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Please find here the GRC communication concerning “Additional guidance: Measures while in office, Advice for returning staff and visitors, Home Self-Monitoring”:

20032020_Additional_guidance_Measures_while_in_office__Advice_for_returning_staff_and_visitors__Home_Self-Monitoring.pdf
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GRC_Measures_in_Office.pdf
362 KB

DRK_Verhaltensweisen_im_Buero.pdf
371 KB

GRC_Advice_for_returning_travellers_and_visitors.pdf
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GRC_Recommendations_for_Self_Monitoring_at_Home.pdf
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GRC_Self-Monitoring_Table.pdf
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Psychological Support

The further continuing global spread of COVID-19, and what that means for each of us, for our friends and families, and our work, are putting extra workload, stress and sometimes fears and worries on all of us. Some might be better prepared to deal with this, while some of us might not. This is not to be seen as a weakness, but a normal reaction in a time of such uncertainty and potential risk.

We want to remind you all that the GRC contracted PSS coaches continue to be available for you especially for such situations. You should all have the contact information of the coach you met when starting your assignment. If you don’t, please reach out to HR (GRCMissions), who can provide you the contact of the coach “assigned” to you. The contact to your coach will then be direct and confidential.

We would very much like to encourage you to make use of this service when you feel it is required. As well, we would ask you to look out for your friends and colleagues and remind them of the services of the coaches when you think it might be useful. Please revert also to this useful and very easy understandable PS quarantine document from our colleagues from the Honk Kong RC. Nothing really new, but a good reminder of underlying causes of stress while preparing for or experiencing such a situation, and a practical list of DOs and DON’Ts.

Psychological_Coping_during_Disease_Outbreak_HK_Red_Cross.pdf
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Travel advise

GRC Position on travel
Based on the rapidly evolving situation and a thorough discussion within the Team 21 Management-Group on March 5th, we have decided to introduce additional measures, aiming at ensuring our operational continuity and duty of care. These measures replace the Travel Advisory issued on 04 March 2020 (Updated as of 17 March 2020):

Suspension of all international travels by GRC staff, except those deemed essentials for operational continuity. These travels are to be greenlighted by the respective line management. Field staff travel deemed essential need to be notified upon decision making to HQ. Ultimate arbitration lies with Head of International.
Suspension of all trainings, seminars, workshops, as well as internal and external events organized by GRC requiring international travel
Travels and events already on-going can be completed as planned and participants can go back to their duty station, potential travel restrictions by quarantine measures need to be observed.
R&R, whilst also representing a certain risk for both staff members and the organisation, is still granted if it does not hamper GRC’s operational continuity. Destinations must be agreed by line management, taking into consideration an informed decision based on the potential risk of infection, the risk of travel service disruptions and quarantine measures. HQ needs to be notified upon decision making.
Leave and private travel should follow the same principle of informed decision making and use of common sense. Possible restrictions returning to the duty station should be thoroughly considered.
Travel to and from duty station at beginning/end of mission continue to be planned. However, face to face briefing/debriefing in Berlin will be decided individually and possibly replaced by suitable alternative tools. Face-to-face Midterm-Briefings in Berlin are suspended and will be replaced by suitable alternative tools.

The measures for international travel apply for all GRC international cooperation staff until 30 April 2020. This also applies to all GRC organised internal events without international travel. For all trainings, seminars, workshops organized by GRC and requiring international travels the suspension is until 31 May 2020.
We will update you at the beginning of April, but from today’s perspective we may have to face a further extension of the above measures.

For updated information on travel restrictions, please check the following sites before making any travel plans

External Information Sources

External sources where additional information about COVID-19 can be found are:

IFRC: https://go.ifrc.org/emergencies/3972#additional-info
ECDC: https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/novel-coronavirus-china
WHO: https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019
CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
JHSPH: http://www.centerforhealthsecurity.org/resources/COVID-19/index.html
RKI (in German): https://www.rki.de/DE/Content/InfAZ/N/Neuartiges_Coronavirus/nCoV.html

Archived information

Older information, which has been replaced by information posted under updates, is made available here.