Covid-19

Other documents related to COVID-19 are on the GO platform and on FedNet . Documents on this page are updated frequently with the latest guidance.

For updates on National Societies’ activities related to COVID-19 and WASH, visit the Regional RoundUp.

Red Cross Red Crescent COVID-19 WASH Frequency Asked Questions (FAQs) are being developed based on questions from Red Cross Red Crescent staff and volunteers and responses are developed using the latest guidance available.

Refer also the COVID-19 Health Help Desk for Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, featuring a Frequently Asked Questions database, guidelines related to health & care, and webinars on COVID-19 health topics. It also provides timely response to queries from National Societies in different languages.

Guidelines and tools​

Red Cross Red Crescent Guidelines and tools

Key WASH-specific COVID-19-related Resources

Key Overall WASH Resources
French Red Cross Technical Sheets WASH and COVID-19. Topics include preparedness measures, hand washing, WASH equipment, and others. English and French.

Global WASH Cluster Resource Page for COVID-19. The latest Global WASH Cluster COVID-19 weekly newsletter, as well as past issues, can be accessed here. The newsletter provides a summary of recently published WASH and COVID-19 resources.

Sphere: WASH & the Coronavirus – The document outlines the underlying principles and the importance of community engagement, as well as a detailed review of the relevant technical guidance in the WASH and Health chapters. A webinar (2 April 2020) on Operationalizing standards: Sphere and the COVID-19 response in camp settings is available here.

Water, Sanitation, Hygiene and Waste Management for COVID-19 Technical Brief. WHO; UNICEF, last update: 23 April 2020. This Technical Brief summarizes the latest evidence on persistence of the COVID-19 virus in drinking-water, sewage and surfaces and  highlights key elements of existing WHO guidance on water, sanitation and health care waste which is relevant for viruses (including coronaviruses). It focuses largely on health care and community settings. Also available in French, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish.

HygieneHub – London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine has launched a free service to help actors in low- and middle-income countries rapidly share, design, and adapt evidence-based hygiene interventions to combat coronavirus.

WHO’s updated Operational Guidelines for COVID-19 Response highlight WASH service providers as performing critical functions that must continue during a widespread outbreak of COVID-19. Enabling Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) measures in health facilities and communities is dependent on access to safely managed WASH, particularly for vulnerable communities and those populations affected by humanitarian crisis.

The Global WASH Cluster has published an advocacy report, with support of ICRC and others: COVID-19 and WASH: Mitigating the socio-economic impacts on the WASH sector. The report calls for immediate action to enable equitable access to WASH commodities and services for all to avoid detrimental impact of the pandemic in the sector. Also available in Arabic, French, and Spanish.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

See IFRC’s Go Platform Additional Resources – PPE section which includes for WASH activities.

Arabic

Russian

English

Spanish

French

ICRC COVID-19 Recommended PPE for WASH Activities – March 2020 (English)

Portoguese

Community Based Health and First Aid (CBHFA)
Community Engagement
Solid Waste Management
Cleaning
Handwashing
IFRC Distribution Protocol

External Guidelines and tools

Handwashing
Infection Prevention & Control (IPC)/ WASH
Menstrual Hygiene Management

Learning resources​

Red Cross Red Crescent Learning resources

Training Resources

IFRC COVID-19 General Training Resources
On the IFRC Learning platform, you will find a playlist on COVID-19 which includes 2 key courses one for the general public and one for responders, and the links for these are below:

1, Coronavirus – Basic knowledge and prevention measures (English, French, Spanish)
2, Coronavirus – Basic knowledge and prevention measures for responders (English, French, Spanish)

The Hygiene Hub team has been very active in holding webinars on “What is the Hygiene Hub?” and how you can engage as a WASH practitioner or broader humanitarian professional.The recorded webinar can be accessed in English and Spanish. The Arabic webinar will be held on 1 June 2020.

Introduction to Market Based Programming in Emergency WASH by GWC,PRO-WASH, CaLP. This webinar introduces how market-based programming can be used in emergency WASH, provides an overview of different approaches including cash and voucher assistance, and strategies to adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic. Recordings and presentations are available in English, Spanish, and French. The webinar was held in Arabic on 1 June 2020.

In addition to highlighted WASH and COVID-19 webinars, refer to the Global WASH Cluster for upcoming webinars and to access recordings of past webinars.

External Learning resources

Relevant Webinars

WHO ePROTECT Respiratory Infections
This course provides a general introduction to Acute Respiratory Infections (ARIs) and basic hygiene measures to protect against infection. Available in AR, Bahasa Indonesia, EN, FR, PT, RU, SP, ZH.

TEPHINET Risk Communication Training (EN)
This course aims to guide those who communicate on behalf of their organization during an emergency with risk communication principles and best practices. Most relevant for programme staff and those who work with CEA.

Advocacy and communication materials

Red Cross Red Crescent Advocacy and communication materials

Information Education Communication (IEC) Resources for WASH and COVID-19

Red Cross Red Crescent IEC material templates can be accessed here.

SARC WatHab Poster COVID 19 virus – Outdoor Measures (Arabic)

SARC WatHab Poster COVID 19 virus – Handwashing (Arabic)

SARC WatHab Poster – COVID 19 – Public General Measures (Arabic)

Egyptian RC IEC material developed for migrants, refugees and IDPs

External advocacy and communication materials

To include resources on this page, or for more information on IFRC initiatives please contact: wash.geneva@ifrc.org