Hero on quarantine, heroine on quarantine

Now you can save the world, just lying on your couch. But there are other ways!

For a young, healthy person who has the opportunity to go into the remote work mode and has mastered all the benefits of the digital era in the form of contactless food delivery, subscriptions to his favorite series and online communication, quarantine does not seem to be such a disaster. Having wrapped in a blanket under a series of “Game of Thrones”, it is easy to forget that there are people around who have no access to such benefits. And without the help of others who are in a better position than they, these people will not cope.

Each of us has an elderly lonely neighbor on the entrance, which is now much more vulnerable. But it is impossible to persuade him to stay at home and not to endanger, if there is no one to bring products, buy medicines and walk with a decrepit spaniel.

Among us there are people whose work and degree of security also depends on our well -being - delivery couriers, people who ensure the operation of infrastructure, food supply, health officers and other specialists who are unable to reduce the risk of the disease, just staying at home. Even if you are not ready to actively help others, do not increase their loads without the need. And if you are ready to participate in providing not only your well -being, here are several ways.

Volunteering in a hospital for patients with coronavirus

The city clinical hospital No. 40 in Kommunarka, where all Moscow patients are hospitalized with suspicion of Covid-19, said that he was gaining volunteers. Volunteers will perform the tasks of nurses and orderlies, psychologists and administrators. Anyone can become a volunteer. First of all, doctors of any specialization and medical students from colleges and universities are in demand. The curator of the direction will instruct the safe work with patients with coronavirus, volunteers will provide protection costumes in the same way as full -time doctors. People are also required without a medical education to help with administrative and economic tasks in the hospital, such work does not imply contact with infected patients and does not require special skills.

COVID-Info-Bot

The New Gazeta, together with the volunteer movement, "Covidarity" launched Covid-info-boot. This is a chatbot on the Telegram social network for operational consultation of people on issues related to the spread of coronavirus in Russia. Through it you can get the latest data on the statistics of infection, a medical memo on symptoms and prevention. Also, using the bot, you can seek help. For example, ask to buy or order products for a person who is in self -isolation, seek help from a psychologist, find out where to purchase protective equipment. These requests will be redirected to the volunteer organization Covidarity.

In the chat, you can transfer any socially important information about coronavirus to the “New Gazeta” (for example, you became aware of any violations or abuses in connection with the coronavirus or you want to share experience in the infectious department), as well as ask our experts and journalists questions about the situation with the epidemic.

Volunteer movement "Covidarity"
This civilian initiative was launched by a team of human rights activists, crisis managers, doctors, lawyers, psychologists and journalists. In order to share important and proven information about what is happening and tested by other countries by the methods of combating pandemia on the Covidarnost.ru portal and on social networks. The main task of “covidarity” is to combine small local communities of neighbors so that people can agree on mutual assistance. Coordinating such house groups will be COVIDARSIC bots. Covidarity also distributes leaflets with information about coronavirus and methods of assistance and instructions for volunteers in safe assistance. In the near future, a call center will be launched for processing requests and providing legal and psychological assistance and created groups of psychological mutual assistance. You can become a volunteer of the project here https://covidarnost.ru/volonteer/

How it is done all over the world
In the UK, a public campaign with a hashtag #VIRALKINDNESS is gaining momentum. Any one who has the opportunity to help can print a card with a proposal of help and leave it with the neighbors under the door. In the card you can note a list of what you could do: go to a store or pharmacy, take a walk with a dog, send mail or even just call to just talk. A person who is in self -isolation can leave his name, address, phone number on the card and indicate the help he needs. More than a thousand local mutual assistance groups on social networks throughout Britain are already operating. The initiative has spread in many English -speaking countries and even reached Australia.

In Russia, the campaign of assistance to neighbors began with a manuscript announcement in the entrance, which was hung by a special correspondent of the Russian Air Force Service Olesya Gerasimenko. The photo of the announcement spread on social networks, and the campaign has become viral, caring users continue to disseminate the proposals of assistance and ideas for coordinating households of mutual support.

Each of us in the framework of a small local community, part of which he is, can help those who are in the worst position than he himself, without exposing himself to excessive risk. Order a food for an elderly neighbor who does not know how to use delivery services, take a walk with a grandmother from the apartment opposite, buy baking or coffee not in a network coffee shop, but in a small private bakery on the corner of the house and support an entrepreneur more at risk to go bankrupt in the current situation. Or to conduct an online connection for people in self-isolation: according to fitness, a foreign language, any other business in which you are a master.