Interim Guidance on Scaling-up COVID-19 Outbreak in Readiness and Response Operations in Camps and Camp-like Settings

This Interim Guidance is intended for field coordinators, camp managers and public health personnel, as well as national and local governments and the wider humanitarian community working in humanitarian situations, including camps and camp-like settings, who are involved in the decision making and implementation of multi-sectorial COVID19 outbreak readiness and response activities – the Guidance is therefore relevant for all Humanitarian Clusters and their partners.

Due to particular vulnerabilities of displaced and other populations living in collective sites and their likely partial or full dependence on local networks, informal livelihood opportunities and markets as well as humanitarian assistance for satisfaction of basic needs, any measures recommended or imposed in the context of COVID-19 outbreak readiness and response activities (e.g. self-isolation requirement, closure of local markets,  postponement of food distributions, limitation on free movement in and out of sites) have to be informed by a thorough gender and protection sensitive assessment of the impact on the well-being and satisfaction of basic needs of the men, women, boys and girls  affected, and a plan for alternative provision of services and assistance to the individuals as well as the community must be prepared.