Coronavirus: Q&A

ShelterBox is taking the spread of Coronavirus very seriously.

We are  implementing precautions and measures  to protect our staff and volunteers as well as the communities we work with.

We are working hard to prevent the transfer of the virus through our work and to reduce any potential disruption of our support for families after disaster.

Our team is working closely with our travel and security providers, and we are committed to following the advice from national and international health authorities and the World Health Organisation.

We are working hard to limit the impact the Coronavirus could have on our support for families around the globe after disaster.

Currently our largest and longest running response is helping families displaced by the war in Syria. We work through trusted partners locally in Syria and we will be able to maintain this vital work. There are also many countries around the world that are less affected by Coronavirus and we will continue to support families after disaster in many locations.

We are working closely with our security and travel providers to make sure we are following all guidelines, as well as taking extra precautions. Any staff or volunteers returning from high-risk countries or who develop cold-like symptoms are being asked to commit to precautionary working from home for two weeks.

In the light of current Government advice, particularly in relation to ‘social distancing’, we are cancelling all talks, presentations and other activities due to be carried out by our volunteers in March, April and into the beginning of May. We will review the situation on a regular basis and cancel later events if necessary.

If your organisation is continuing to meet and you would like a pre-recorded presentation, virtual speaker or other materials to support you in remaining connected, please get in touch

We are experiencing moderately extended lead times for some of our aid items due to factory and port closures in China. Factories have now reopened so we are expecting these delays to be limited.

We are working very closely with our suppliers to find solutions to the delays, and to put alternative measures in place where necessary. We also have significant quantities of aid stored in prepositioned units in different locations across the world which will help us to keep on being able to support communities after disaster.

It is not yet clear what the extent of the impact of the virus will have on our supply chain. Our Procurement Team is closely monitoring any updates and working to minimise the disruption.