Support the COVID-19 quarantine and isolation (Q/I) area set up in IDP camps. With the Islamic State group (ISg) defeat in 2017 putting an end to the wide-scale violence and armed conflict in Iraq, the figures of Iraqi people in need have been steadily decreasing, and the country is now considered as gradually moving from an emergency situation to a post-conflict transition towards durable solutions. Even though vulnerable Iraqis are showing different needs compared to the immediate life-saving needs they were facing at the aftermath of the conflict, the scope of displacement and the level of humanitarian needs still make the Iraq crisis one of the largest in the world. In 2020, an estimated 4.10 million people were still in need of humanitarian assistance. The most acute needs continue to be found in governorates that witnessed direct conflict, such as Ninewa, and Salah Al-Din, and in governorates that received significant numbers of the displaced, such as Duhok. 

COVID-19 was first detected in Iraq on February 24th and from this date to November 16th 2020, there have been 519 152 cases of Covid-19, including 11 670 deaths, with a community transmission still ongoing . Aware that Iraq’s health system would not be able to respond to a major outbreak, authorities quickly closed borders in March, schools, public areas and airports, and cancelled attendance at reli¬gious festivals. These preventative actions kept case numbers signifi-cantly lower than neighboring countries, until movement restrictions were loosened in late April for Ramadan, which—along with an in¬creased testing regime—has resulted in an acute surge in the numbers of confirmed cases. So far, displacement camps have been spared from being major hotspots of COVID-19 cases, but cases numbers are growing exponentially and the Iraqi health system will certainly be more challenged by the pandemic in the forthcoming months. 

That is why, in light of the 1st allocation strategy displayed by the Iraqi Humanitarian Fund, following a specific request from the health cluster and based on their experience both in the proposed areas of intervention and in the field of expertise developed here, Première Urgence Internationale (PUI), Intersos, Barzani Charity Foundation (BCF) and Doctors Aid Medical Activities (DAMA) plan to support the COVID-19 quarantine and isolation (Q/I) area set up in IDP camps in Ninewa, Dohuk, Sulaymaniyah, as well as out of camp in Tikrit and Ninewa.

To do so, consortium partners will engage in the provision of staff and supplies to Q/I centers, through doctors, nurses and medical supplies including but not limited to Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). They will follow the technical guidance for Covid-19 response shared by the Health Cluster in October 2020. As it now well known that the contraction of the Covid-19 disease and the isolation or quarantine period has a strong impact on the mental health and well-being of persons, psychosocial support will be implemented to patients and families, with a specific focus on vulnerable groups as children, pregnant women, elderly.... 

In addition, PUI, INTERSOS, BCF and DAMA are committed to the training and capacity building of DoH staff, and trainings on Covid-19, MHPSS topics will be implemented to ensure medical staff are well aware of the disease and its implications. Along with staff trainings, awareness raising about Covid-19 will be done to camp population and in secondary displaced areas, to improve their knowledge on the virus, tackle the stigmatization of SARS-CoV-2 positive persons, and communicate on preventative measures. 

Through these activities PUI, Intersos, BCF and DAMA will be able to provide a quality response to emergency needs regarding Covid-19 pandemic. This proposed action is in line with the Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) 2020’s objectives, as well as the Health Cluster’s main priorities.