With the health and safety of the public as a top priority, Qatar has laid out a series of measures to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in the country.

While relevant authorities are doing everything within their capacity to fight the disease, citizens and residents have come forth in great numbers to support the country's efforts and assist the authorities with various skills.

In March, the Supreme Committee for Crisis Management and the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) had called on the people of Qatar to join the National Volunteering Campaign: “For Qatar.”

There was an impressive response to this call with thousands of citizens and residents expressing their solidarity with the health authorities in Qatar.

A little over a week ago, MoPH held the first training workshop for these volunteers. 

The workshop was held at the Student Center in Qatar Foundation (QF). During the session, volunteers were tutored on the basic skills required for volunteering along with the responsibility each volunteer will take in this campaign.

The two-hour workshop took into account all the necessary precautions, as the volunteers are also scheduled to receive specialized training in the tasks assigned to them before performing their duties.

Speaking to Qatar Television, Sheikh Dr Mohamed bin Hamad Al Thani, Director of Public Health Department at MoPH, confirmed that between 30,000 to 35,000 volunteers are being trained by the Ministry to join the fight against COVID-19 in Qatar. 

The volunteers will have to pass a training course before being assigned to different tasks, he said. The ones who are unsuccessful in the training will need to get further training. 

Dr Mohamed Al Thani underlined that this assessment is essential for the safety of the volunteers and to ensure that they can carry out the work assigned to them efficiently. 

Volunteers from all backgrounds are welcome, however, they need to be physically fit and enthusiastic about the service, the official mentioned. 

'We have a challenge to get them to work as quickly as possible but in the meantime time we should maintain the highest possible quality of training,' he said.

Volunteers will be dispatched, according to need and expertise, to start performing the tasks assigned to them.

The tasks include providing support to medical staff working in health facilities through conducting auxiliary health practices, raising community awareness of the risks and symptoms of the COVID-19, and providing various logistical services.

The program will run until the end of June and all volunteers will be needed for at least 14 days for eight-hour shifts over 12 weeks.

Concerning the current situation, Dr Mohamed Al Thani said, 'If all abide by the protective and precautionary measures against COVID-19, the situation in Qatar will improve and within four weeks we could see a relaxation of the restrictions as the number of new cases would drop considerably.'

Regarding the increased number of cases in Qatar, the official said that it is mainly because of the increasing number of laboratory test results. The situation is under control, he stressed. 

Meanwhile, health authorities in the country continue to implement the highest level of monitoring, detection, and management procedures to deal with the virus, the public has been advised to follow certain measures to safeguard their health.

For any queries, or concerns related to COVID-19 in Qatar, the public can contact a 24/7 hotline set up by the Ministry. The hotline number is 16000 and is toll-free.

Here's everything you need to know about the virus, including ways to protect yourself. 

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Source: Gulf Times

Cover Image: from MOPH's first training workshop for volunteers/ credit: QNA