CARE Australia staff will be temporarily working from home from Tuesday, 17 March 2020, for an initial period of two weeks.
The decision has been made as a precautionary public health step in response to the escalating COVID-19 coronavirus, taking into account a number of factors. These include the wellbeing of our staff; the wellbeing of the wider community with whom they interact; and the importance of keeping our staff healthy so they can continue supporting vulnerable communities around the world.
Our lifesaving, poverty-fighting programs will continue during this period.
This is a proactive measure aimed at preventing the spread of the virus over the coming weeks and months. CARE Australia’s Canberra and Melbourne offices will initially be closed until 31 March, to be reviewed as more information becomes available.
CARE Australia is supporting staff to make the temporary change to remote work and to mitigate any challenges that arise. As part of an international organisation that often collaborates remotely, we are confident that we can continue with our lifesaving work in this manner.
In this challenging time, it is all the more important that organisations like CARE Australia are there to support vulnerable people around the world. Poor countries with less advanced and under-resourced health systems will be the least able to cope with COVID-19, which is why our lifesaving health and sanitation programs need ongoing public support.
Members of the public can still contact CARE Australia via the usual telephone, email and social media channels. Our main telephone line, 1800 DONATE, remains in use and will be diverted to a member of our Supporter Care team.
