News

How the coronavirus epidemic affects FRC’s activities

Kuvapankkikuva, käytetty koronavirusilmoituksen yhteydessä
16
Mar
Published on 16/3/2020, last updated on 12/5/2020
 
Based on latest information regarding the coronavirus epidemic in Finland, the authorities have recommended avoiding group events and non-essential close contact with other people. The Finnish Refugee Council wants to ensure the safety of its personnel and clients and, therefore, has taken the following steps:
 
  • All group meetings and events in Finland have been cancelled for the time being. If an event can be organised remotely, participants will be notified.
  • Walk-in advice and information services for immigrants in Helsinki have also been cancelled for the time being. The Kurvi advice desk at Ohjaamo Helsinki (Mon-Wed) and at Itäkeskus library (Thu) as well as the Linkki advice services at Itäkatu Family Centre (Mon) and at Monikeskus (Wed) will be closed for at least one month. We will make a separate announcement when advice services continue. While our advice services are on hold, you can find information on many relevant issues on:
  • The Helsinki Head Office is closed for the time being, and all non-essential close contact with others is to be avoided by the entire staff. Our experts are available via telephone, email or other remote connections.
  • FRC, as a partner of the UN Refugee Agency UNHCR, is providing special hygiene training for 9 000 people on refugee camps in Uganda, aimed at preventing the spread of the coronavirus. It is crucial to act now when uncontrollable spread of the virus is still preventable through education and provision of hygiene products, of which some camps are in dire shortage of. We would kindly request all who are able to to consider making a donation to support our efforts.
  • We will follow closely the instructions from authorities and will inform our stakeholders and clients when face-to-face events and training can be resumed.
  • We encourage everyone in Finland to follow the instructions of the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) (https://thl.fi/en/) to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.