GREATER practical and financial help for parents is on the cards now that a new 'family law' has passed its second reading in the Council of Ministers, with extended maternity and paternity pay, protected time...
Guide for volunteer shoppers during quarantine: Keeping you and them safe
30/03/2020
EXAMPLES of public security officers helping out vulnerable members of the public during the Coronavirus lockdown have been pouring in thick and fast – some, like the Armed Forces emergency response unit (UME) in Gijón (Asturias), delivering supermarket shopping to an elderly lady living alone, have gone viral – and law enforcement, disaster management and safety agents have found their job descriptions widening lately to 'personal shopper' (even at their own expense, as this family in Calpe found out), pharmaceutical distributors, and even birthday-cake delivery 'drivers' (which delighted the unsuspecting Toñi in Jaca on her special day).
But members of the public have also been coming into their own: Town halls across the country, although mostly closed now, have been organising recruitment drives for volunteers to fetch shopping, medication and other necessaries for the elderly, disabled, sick, and those who otherwise cannot get out, such as people whose nearest stores are too far to walk and they do not have, or cannot drive, a car.
Also, even though visiting for social reasons – family included – is not allowed until the quarantine is lifted, running essential errands for those who cannot do so themselves is technically permitted; by 'technically', we mean that you'll need to be able to demonstrate that's what you're doing if the police stop you, so town hall schemes are ideal as they will give you a signed document as proof.
Whether you are volunteering with your local authority, or whether you are helping a neighbour, friend or relative, you still need to exercise extreme precaution – and so do they. Strangers posing as 'helpers' but whose intentions are anything but may be more likely to take advantage of the lockdown and, as bullies tend to be cowards, will pick on the elderly and others whom they consider 'easy targets'.
Fortunately cases of these are extremely rare, but everyone needs to be aware that they are not impossible, and at least encourage those living alone and normally housebound not to trust 'just anyone'.
The Guardia Civil, Red Cross and Civil Protection squad – the latter being a voluntary emergency response organisation which, by the way, is always crying out for extra people – have jointly issued a series of guidelines for anyone planning to be a 'personal shopper' or pharmaceutical delivery 'agent' between now and the provisional end-of-quarantine date of April 11.
Check their state of health first
You'll need to know whether the person you are helping has become infected with the virus – although given that they may not know (some, like Spain's equality minister Irene Montero, has tested positive but has no symptoms, meaning she is a 'carrier' but not a 'sufferer') you need to act as though anyone you meet does, in fact, have the condition, however unlikely. At the moment, cases on Spain's coasts – those of the Comunidad Valenciana, Andalucía and most of the Balearic Islands – have very low incidences indeed, with some towns completely virus-free and others with patient numbers only in single figures – and between a half and two-thirds of cases, deaths included, are in the Greater Madrid region, but don't get complacent. It only takes one moment of carelessness for the virus to take hold where you live.
Also find out if they have any pre-existing health conditions – even though young, healthy people have occasionally, sadly, failed to recover from the Covid-19, those whose organisms and immune systems are already compromised are considerably more at risk.
Keep your distance
When delivering shopping and other necessaries, leave them in the doorway and stand well back – do not enter the house. If you absolutely have to, because, for example, your 'charge' is very elderly and cannot lift their own shopping into cupboards (or has dementia and may end up putting it down the back of the sofa and forgetting where it is), make sure you stand at least a metre and a half (five feet), or ideally two metres, away from the occupant, and don't touch any more surfaces than strictly necessary. Wear surgical gloves, and wash your hands for at least 30 seconds afterwards.
Hand sanitiser (at least 60-70% alcohol) is hard to come by, but can be kinder to the skin – constant washing dries your hands out, leaving them more open to infection.
Cover your face and dispose of your tissues
Surgical masks are nearly impossible to find right now, and even if you can, they are best left for the health service, care workers and the police to use; but you can make your own by stitching together several layers of cotton or, at worst, wear a DIY (tile-cutting and drilling protection) mask or simply wrap your scarf around your nose and mouth. Anything used as a mask should be washed immediately afterwards (ordinary clothing detergent kills practically all types of virus), but don't touch the front of it when you take it off.
It is not clear whether we should cover up our hair at this stage. As hair is porous, it is less likely to 'hoard' viral particles, say experts, and the natural oils present in the hair closest to the scalp mean harmful bacteria 'slides off' it. But the virus may be able to survive on loose hair, in brushes or in strands on surfaces. You could wash it after every trip outside, but don't over-wash it, or you'll destroy these natural oils and could even make it more efficient as storage for the virus. Experts recommend tying your hair back and piling it up to prevent it dropping out or dragging on surfaces, although if you're worried, wear a scarf as a hijab and throw it in the wash as soon as you get home.
If you cough or sneeze, cover your mouth and nose with your inner arm as you do so, not your hand. The hand does not contain all the droplets expelled, and unless you wash it immediately afterwards, you may spread any germs on it as soon as you touch anything.
Use tissues, rather than handkerchiefs, and bin them after every use; don't put them back in your pocket if they're otherwise mostly clean. (In fact, in some cultures – including most of those in Latin America – putting a used tissue back in your pocket is considered revolting at any time, so theirs is a good example to follow).
Check in with your 'charges' first
Call them or, if they are on WhatsApp, email or any other digital communication channel, message them, to find out exactly what they need, and to introduce yourself if you're from a volunteer group. This way you won't have to spend ages hanging around at the door chatting about it all, increasing the risk of contagion.
Keep them safe from fraud
Only help out people you know well, unless you are working for a council-run scheme; if you are, show them your document and ID at the door, whether they ask for it or not. Explain to them that they must not open the door to or give money to strangers, but that if they do, they should expect to see proof of identity and a council, Civil Protection or Red Cross certificate; anyone who acts offended when asked for this, or cannot provide it, is not someone who should be trusted.
Don't accept 'tips' or other payments for your 'services', in cash or in kind. If the person you're helping tries to insist, tell them that this is against the rules in place for their own safety and to keep you, too, safe from accusations. Reassure them that you will 'sort it out with them later' after the lockdown is over (but then, of course, don't). Or suggest when quarantine has finished, they donate that money to the Red Cross or Civil Protection, or some other organisation for helping vulnerable people. Tell them you are doing this to 'feel good about yourself' and that you'll 'be rewarded in heaven', and that you would feel offended if they treated it as a business transaction.
Anyone with elderly parents or grandparents will know the best way to tackle this – play it by ear, but don't give in.
Just a phone call helps
Whether or not anyone you know who lives alone, is disabled or elderly, is having trouble fetching what they need – perhaps the social services are already on the case – lockdown can be hard for those used to seeing neighbours, friends or family, or passing the time of day in the street. Give them a call, and just chat to them, or let them talk at you. Some towns are also running volunteer 'counselling' services, with residents taking calls from anyone feeling distressed during quarantine or who simply needs to hear a human voice.
It makes a difference. Elderly people especially, who are lonely, sometimes go to great lengths to reach out to the world: It's not unheard of for them to dial a telephone number at random, asking for a person whose name they have plucked out of their heads and, after apologising for 'getting a wrong number', launching into long conversation.
Exchanging money
At the moment, almost all traders still open are taking card and mobile phone payments for any amount, even a few cents, and prefer to do so – even those which, until now, have set fairly high lower limits for non-cash transactions. It is not clear whether the virus can, in fact, survive for long on coins or notes, but as a precaution, pharmacies and stores are trying to avoid them (also, many pharmacies have stopped asking customers for their SIP, or health service, cards when dishing out prescriptions, to cut down on the number of items they have to touch).
Clearly this is impossible when shopping for neighbours and friends, but try, if you can, to work out the total as exactly as you can so you have the right change, and insist they look at the receipts; make sure either you, or they, keeps them. Use surgical gloves for handling money, and if possible, make a note of your charges' shopping lists on your phone or tablet rather than taking a piece of paper from them.
When giving change back to your charges, remind them to wash their hands immediately after touching it.
And after you have run your errand, don't stay there any longer than you can avoid – no going inside for a cup of tea and a biscuit; you can agree with them that you'll pop round for a cuppa after quarantine, if you know them well.
Make sure they have the telephone numbers for social services, the Red Cross, the 112 emergency hotline, or any others you can think of, so they can check up on you if they need to, and ask for help.
Related Topics
EXAMPLES of public security officers helping out vulnerable members of the public during the Coronavirus lockdown have been pouring in thick and fast – some, like the Armed Forces emergency response unit (UME) in Gijón (Asturias), delivering supermarket shopping to an elderly lady living alone, have gone viral – and law enforcement, disaster management and safety agents have found their job descriptions widening lately to 'personal shopper' (even at their own expense, as this family in Calpe found out), pharmaceutical distributors, and even birthday-cake delivery 'drivers' (which delighted the unsuspecting Toñi in Jaca on her special day).
But members of the public have also been coming into their own: Town halls across the country, although mostly closed now, have been organising recruitment drives for volunteers to fetch shopping, medication and other necessaries for the elderly, disabled, sick, and those who otherwise cannot get out, such as people whose nearest stores are too far to walk and they do not have, or cannot drive, a car.
Also, even though visiting for social reasons – family included – is not allowed until the quarantine is lifted, running essential errands for those who cannot do so themselves is technically permitted; by 'technically', we mean that you'll need to be able to demonstrate that's what you're doing if the police stop you, so town hall schemes are ideal as they will give you a signed document as proof.
Whether you are volunteering with your local authority, or whether you are helping a neighbour, friend or relative, you still need to exercise extreme precaution – and so do they. Strangers posing as 'helpers' but whose intentions are anything but may be more likely to take advantage of the lockdown and, as bullies tend to be cowards, will pick on the elderly and others whom they consider 'easy targets'.
Fortunately cases of these are extremely rare, but everyone needs to be aware that they are not impossible, and at least encourage those living alone and normally housebound not to trust 'just anyone'.
The Guardia Civil, Red Cross and Civil Protection squad – the latter being a voluntary emergency response organisation which, by the way, is always crying out for extra people – have jointly issued a series of guidelines for anyone planning to be a 'personal shopper' or pharmaceutical delivery 'agent' between now and the provisional end-of-quarantine date of April 11.
Check their state of health first
You'll need to know whether the person you are helping has become infected with the virus – although given that they may not know (some, like Spain's equality minister Irene Montero, has tested positive but has no symptoms, meaning she is a 'carrier' but not a 'sufferer') you need to act as though anyone you meet does, in fact, have the condition, however unlikely. At the moment, cases on Spain's coasts – those of the Comunidad Valenciana, Andalucía and most of the Balearic Islands – have very low incidences indeed, with some towns completely virus-free and others with patient numbers only in single figures – and between a half and two-thirds of cases, deaths included, are in the Greater Madrid region, but don't get complacent. It only takes one moment of carelessness for the virus to take hold where you live.
Also find out if they have any pre-existing health conditions – even though young, healthy people have occasionally, sadly, failed to recover from the Covid-19, those whose organisms and immune systems are already compromised are considerably more at risk.
Keep your distance
When delivering shopping and other necessaries, leave them in the doorway and stand well back – do not enter the house. If you absolutely have to, because, for example, your 'charge' is very elderly and cannot lift their own shopping into cupboards (or has dementia and may end up putting it down the back of the sofa and forgetting where it is), make sure you stand at least a metre and a half (five feet), or ideally two metres, away from the occupant, and don't touch any more surfaces than strictly necessary. Wear surgical gloves, and wash your hands for at least 30 seconds afterwards.
Hand sanitiser (at least 60-70% alcohol) is hard to come by, but can be kinder to the skin – constant washing dries your hands out, leaving them more open to infection.
Cover your face and dispose of your tissues
Surgical masks are nearly impossible to find right now, and even if you can, they are best left for the health service, care workers and the police to use; but you can make your own by stitching together several layers of cotton or, at worst, wear a DIY (tile-cutting and drilling protection) mask or simply wrap your scarf around your nose and mouth. Anything used as a mask should be washed immediately afterwards (ordinary clothing detergent kills practically all types of virus), but don't touch the front of it when you take it off.
It is not clear whether we should cover up our hair at this stage. As hair is porous, it is less likely to 'hoard' viral particles, say experts, and the natural oils present in the hair closest to the scalp mean harmful bacteria 'slides off' it. But the virus may be able to survive on loose hair, in brushes or in strands on surfaces. You could wash it after every trip outside, but don't over-wash it, or you'll destroy these natural oils and could even make it more efficient as storage for the virus. Experts recommend tying your hair back and piling it up to prevent it dropping out or dragging on surfaces, although if you're worried, wear a scarf as a hijab and throw it in the wash as soon as you get home.
If you cough or sneeze, cover your mouth and nose with your inner arm as you do so, not your hand. The hand does not contain all the droplets expelled, and unless you wash it immediately afterwards, you may spread any germs on it as soon as you touch anything.
Use tissues, rather than handkerchiefs, and bin them after every use; don't put them back in your pocket if they're otherwise mostly clean. (In fact, in some cultures – including most of those in Latin America – putting a used tissue back in your pocket is considered revolting at any time, so theirs is a good example to follow).
Check in with your 'charges' first
Call them or, if they are on WhatsApp, email or any other digital communication channel, message them, to find out exactly what they need, and to introduce yourself if you're from a volunteer group. This way you won't have to spend ages hanging around at the door chatting about it all, increasing the risk of contagion.
Keep them safe from fraud
Only help out people you know well, unless you are working for a council-run scheme; if you are, show them your document and ID at the door, whether they ask for it or not. Explain to them that they must not open the door to or give money to strangers, but that if they do, they should expect to see proof of identity and a council, Civil Protection or Red Cross certificate; anyone who acts offended when asked for this, or cannot provide it, is not someone who should be trusted.
Don't accept 'tips' or other payments for your 'services', in cash or in kind. If the person you're helping tries to insist, tell them that this is against the rules in place for their own safety and to keep you, too, safe from accusations. Reassure them that you will 'sort it out with them later' after the lockdown is over (but then, of course, don't). Or suggest when quarantine has finished, they donate that money to the Red Cross or Civil Protection, or some other organisation for helping vulnerable people. Tell them you are doing this to 'feel good about yourself' and that you'll 'be rewarded in heaven', and that you would feel offended if they treated it as a business transaction.
Anyone with elderly parents or grandparents will know the best way to tackle this – play it by ear, but don't give in.
Just a phone call helps
Whether or not anyone you know who lives alone, is disabled or elderly, is having trouble fetching what they need – perhaps the social services are already on the case – lockdown can be hard for those used to seeing neighbours, friends or family, or passing the time of day in the street. Give them a call, and just chat to them, or let them talk at you. Some towns are also running volunteer 'counselling' services, with residents taking calls from anyone feeling distressed during quarantine or who simply needs to hear a human voice.
It makes a difference. Elderly people especially, who are lonely, sometimes go to great lengths to reach out to the world: It's not unheard of for them to dial a telephone number at random, asking for a person whose name they have plucked out of their heads and, after apologising for 'getting a wrong number', launching into long conversation.
Exchanging money
At the moment, almost all traders still open are taking card and mobile phone payments for any amount, even a few cents, and prefer to do so – even those which, until now, have set fairly high lower limits for non-cash transactions. It is not clear whether the virus can, in fact, survive for long on coins or notes, but as a precaution, pharmacies and stores are trying to avoid them (also, many pharmacies have stopped asking customers for their SIP, or health service, cards when dishing out prescriptions, to cut down on the number of items they have to touch).
Clearly this is impossible when shopping for neighbours and friends, but try, if you can, to work out the total as exactly as you can so you have the right change, and insist they look at the receipts; make sure either you, or they, keeps them. Use surgical gloves for handling money, and if possible, make a note of your charges' shopping lists on your phone or tablet rather than taking a piece of paper from them.
When giving change back to your charges, remind them to wash their hands immediately after touching it.
And after you have run your errand, don't stay there any longer than you can avoid – no going inside for a cup of tea and a biscuit; you can agree with them that you'll pop round for a cuppa after quarantine, if you know them well.
Make sure they have the telephone numbers for social services, the Red Cross, the 112 emergency hotline, or any others you can think of, so they can check up on you if they need to, and ask for help.
Related Topics
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