COVID 19 measures
The ongoing COVID19 pandemic has profoundly changed the manner in which youth exchange programmes are being implemented. It is very important for youth organizations to do all that is in their power to prevent the spread of the disease at their events.
The COVID prevention measures will be the most efficient if they are implemented in three stages – before, during and after the exchange or other youth-related activity.
- Develop a detailed Privacy policy which will contain provisions regarding the collection, processing and storate of data of potential and approved participants of your exchange and other activities. This privacy policy should be published on your website and easily accessible to all visitors of it. You can find decent examples on how GDPR compliant privacy policy document should look like online. You should develop privacy policy for each of your exchange projects which will be adjusted to your data processing needs within it.
- If you are organizing an event for which participants should fill in and submit application form, you should provide information about your practices within it and ask applicants to consent to data protection policy. Tell applicants what data you are collecting (e.g: name, surname, phone number, email address, etc.); why are you collecting them (e.g: To timely inform applicants whether they have been selected for participation) and for how long will you keep the data (e.g: 6 months).
- Once you collect the data necessary for the selection of participants be sure to keep the data safely stored whether online or on your personal computers. Don’t share the data or give access to them to any person outside your organization.
- Provide sufficient information on COVID-19 and the measures that organizers are taking to make thie event safe. Remind participants that physical distancing will be applied in all methods of work.
- Encourage regular hand-washing and use of an alcohol rub.
- Ask participants to cover their face with the bend of the elbow or a tissue if they cough or sneeze. Supply enough tissues and closed bins to dispose of them in.
- Provide contact details or a health hotline number that participants can call for advice or to give information.
- Display dispensers of alcohol-based hand rub prominently around the venue.
- Open windows and doors in the place where participants are spending a lot of time whenever possible to make sure the venue is well ventilated. Also, when/if it is possible, organize the activities outdoors.
- In case someone at the meeting presents symptoms of COVID-19 (dry cough, fever, malaise) activate the pre-developed plan for reaction:
- Safely isolate the individual in the identified room or area.
- Safely transferred the individual from the venue to the nearest health facility by the member of the team who will be in charge of this task. Both the driver and the person feeling unwell should wear masks and gloves and should be sitting apart in the car with open windows (driver’s seat – passenger’s right seat).
- If event participant’s, staff member’s or service provider’s test turns positive for COVID-19 during or just after the event you should imediately contact all parties involved in order to notify them to get tested as soon as possible.
- Retain the names and contact details of all participants for at least one month. This will help public health authorities to trace people who may have been exposed to COVID-19 if one or more participants become ill or have warning symptoms shortly after the event.
- If someone at the event was isolated as a suspected COVID19 case, inform all participants about it. Advise them to monitor themselves for symptoms for 14 days and to contact their health services if needed.