Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) says it’s on mission to curb the spread of coronavirus.

Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) activated its Disaster Information Management Centre (DIMC) on Sunday, in efforts to monitor developments and updates for the ongoing global health crisis.

The organisation said the move would be a collaborative project between different departments as well as government entities, in particular, to control the increasing infection numbers in Qatar.

The charity launched a meeting on Sunday to discuss “the preparations for any tasks to be assigned by the health authorities, as well as strict enforcement of preventive measures for the coming period, in order to prevent the spread of the disease, under the supervision of the Supreme Committee for Crisis Management,” a statement by QRCS said.

Other than its volunteering and community services, “QRCS is mandated to intervene in and respond to disasters, in its legal capacity as an auxiliary to the State of Qatar in its humanitarian and social efforts,” said the charity.

Read also: 11-year-old child dies of COVID-19 in Qatar amid rising numbers

The organisation leapt into action when the novel coronavirus struck the country in March last year and outlined an immediate humanitarian intervention to curb the spread of the virus. 

This allowed the organisation to serve an essential role to prevent the increase in infection cases in Qatar during the peak of the first wave.

This was achieved through multifaceted medical, volunteering, and social roles including “the operation of quarantine facilities, supervision of preventive measures at public places, street disinfection, distribution of protective supplies to the public, and provision of food and cash aid for the affected families,” according to QRCS.

For the past two weeks, Covid cases have been gradually increasing in Qatar which required the government to reimpose strict precautionary measures.

COVID-19 cases in Qatar have also been on the rise with health authorities on Monday reporting 427 new cases – the highest in months.

Last week, Qatar announced a new plan to re-implement COVID-19 restrictions to counter the increasing number of cases, raising concerns of a potential second wave.

Among the measures, imposed from February 4, is restricting the number of those in the workplace, closing children’s playgrounds and indoor amusement parks as well as limiting the capacity of indoor sports and fitness centres, such as gyms.

Authorities also issued a ban on indoor weddings (unless held at home) while restricting the number of attendees, both indoor and outdoor, to 10 and 15 respectively.

Last December, Qatar kicked off its vaccination campaign, with the second vaccine shipment expected soon, according to the ministry.

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