Please use UNHCR contacts as provided bellow:
For Internally Displaced Persons: UN Refugee Agency Hotline 0 800 307 711 (from Monday to Friday from 09:00-18:00)
For Refugees and Asylum seekers: +38 (044) 288 9424 and +38(044) 288 9686, [email protected] or [email protected]
The address of UNHCR office for urgent visits is 16 Lavrska Str., Kyiv, Ukraine.
To get more information on operation of UNHCR, its partner organizations and State Migration Service offices, please follow the link.
UNHCR Response to COVID-19
-UNHCR continues advocating for measures to ensure that asylum-seekers’ documents remain valid and persons are not subject to detention or fines during the period that the State Migration Service is under quarantine.
-UNHCR is advocating for asylum-seekers’ access to free-of-charge medical care during the COVID-19 pandemic.
-UNHCR provided information about COVID-19 prevention and response in languages refugees can understand and through multiple channels (internet, social media, mobile phone groups, etc).
-UNHCR is providing PPE to partners so they can continue delivering essential services.
-UNHCR provided a one-time minimal cash-for-hygiene assistance to the most vulnerable asylum-seekers (229 individuals): the elderly and individuals with chronic disease. This assistance (equivalent to around 35 USD/person) is not supposed to cover loss of livelihoods and was intended, at the beginning of the crisis, to support the most vulnerable to buy the necessary hygiene items: persons bought soap, masks, detergents, medicine etc.
-UNHCR is providing in-kind hygiene assistance to clean public areas of temporary accommodation centers.
-UNHCR is re-allocating and fundraising to support medical expenses of refugees and asylum-seekers.
-UNHCR is supporting three refugee women who previously received UNHCR self-reliance grants, with equipment and fabric for sewing face masks following applicable WHO standards; the masks will be distributed (with instructions on how to use them) to persons of concern (living in reception centers as well as all persons of concern through community leaders).
-UNHCR is providing one-time emergency cash assistance to cover urgent financial needs and prevent the emergence of protection concerns. This assistance will be one-off transfer of two months of the normal monthly transfer is relevant in the Ukrainian context.
-More details on eligibility and procedures are in IPA SoPs, Annex-1 MSA Vulnerability Criteria, and Annex- 25 COVID-19 Response (please, click on each to get more details).
How to protect yourself and the people around you from COVID-19
The virus is often carried by our hands. The best way to stop this disease is with soap. Soap kills the virus. Wash your hands regularly with soap and water. If you don’t have soap and water nearby, you can use alcohol rub. Wash your hands for 20 seconds.
Practice breathing/respiratory hygiene. This means:
- When coughing or sneezing, do this in your flexed elbow or in a paper tissue. Do not cough or sneeze in your hands. They will carry the virus to the things you touch.
- Cover your nose and mouth when coughing.
- Throw the tissue into a closed bin.
- Wash your hands.
- Clean your phone regularly. You touch it with your hands and face every day.
- Maintain social distancing at least 1 metre. Do not shake hands, hug or kiss. Use other ways of greeting each other instead. Wash hands after coming into contact with people. Make sure you distance yourself from people who are coughing or have a fever.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Especially in public places. Wash your hands before.
- Be careful around animals. Wash your hand after you have touched animals.
- Make sure to wash fruit and vegetables and cook your food well.
- There is no need to wear a face mask unless you are infected with the corona virus, or if you are taking care of people who are sick. In other situations, wearing a face mask will not prevent you from getting sick. It might increase your risk of getting sick.
How to recognise if you are sick
There are several symptoms, ways to recognise the disease:
- Do you have a fever?
- Are you coughing?
- Are you out of breath more easily than usual or do you have difficulties breathing?
WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU ARE SICK
For asylum seekers and refugees:
- If you feel bad (fever, shortness of breath, cough), isolate yourself from others immediately, wear a protective mask.
- If you have already signed a declaration with the family doctor, please contact your family doctor. In parallel, please contact by phone UNHCR social partner in your region (Rokada, Desyate Kvitnia, Neeka and R2P in Kharkiv).
- If symptoms are severe – you should call the ambulance and inform the Partner
- If
your children are sick, contact the doctor on call in the children’s
hospital. Again, we suggest to contact the partners
who will help identify who exactly to contact
Follow the instructions of your doctor. - In case if your health condition deteriorates, call an ambulance. In any case, do not self-medicate or go to an outpatient clinic.
- In case you are denied access to medical services, contact UNHCR partner organizations in your region.
SELF-ISOLATION GUIDE
Addendum to the Note Verbale of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine dated 16 March 2020 №202/23-010-795
What does self-isolation mean?
Self-isolation is, first and foremost, avoiding any contact with other people to reduce the risk of infection. Self-isolation excludes any situation where you are in close contact with others (for example, a face-to-face contact closer than 2 meters or for more than 15 minutes).
The only exception to this is when you seek medical help (only after telephone consultation).
If you doubt whether you need self-isolation or you do not know who to consult for advice, please call the Government Hotline: 1545
Who should self-isolate?
It is highly recommended to self-isolate in case
- you are awaiting novel coronavirus COVID-19 test results;
- you have been in close contact with someone who has novel coronavirus COVID-19;
- you have recently travelled to the Hubei province of the People’s Republic of China, Iran, North Korea, selected regions of Italy (Lombardy, Piedmont and Veneto) or other countries which are reported on the website of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, even if you have no symptoms.
- you have recently travelled to China (except Hubei province), Thailand, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan and you are experiencing cough, shortness of breath and/or fever.
How long should self-isolation last?
If you have been recommended or if you have taken a decision on self-isolation, it should last at least 14 days from the date of the recent travel or close contact with a person who is sick
What should you do if you do not live alone?
If you live with your family or flatmates, you should self-isolate in a separate room with good ventilation. If possible, use a separate bathroom and/or toilet, prepare your food and have meals separately.
Remember about personal hygiene: wash your hands with soap, provide wet cleaning of your accommodation, cover your coughs and sneezes, use disposable tissues. During inevitable contacts with other people, wear a medical facemask and throw it away after use or contamination.
Self-isolate from your pets or minimize your contacts with them.
How to get your food delivered?
Minimize going out to do the shopping. If possible, ask your friends and relatives to get food and other supplies delivered to your accommodation or use a contactless delivery option with online payment.
What should you do if you need to leave home?
If you urgently need to leave the place of self-isolation, wear a facemask and minimize contacts with other people. Use hand sanitizers, cover your coughs.
What should you do if you develop the symptoms?
If during the self-isolation you notice the symptoms (cough, shortness of breath, fever, diarrhea) urgently turn for medical help and inform about your recent travel and possible contacts with people with acute respiratory viral infection.
For more information please follow the link.