Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)

Information for UN Personnel Worldwide

The United Nations is closely monitoring the situation and working with all necessary partners to ensure our safety and health, and that our duty stations are prepared to respond with necessary actions.

The page Policy and Guidance features important advisories, guidelines, resources, and materials on the COVID-19 outbreak for all UN duty stations, offices, personnel and their families, visitors, and UN healthcare workers. It is updated 24/7 with the latest available information.

Coronavirus on the UN Intranet-iSeek

For Secretariat Staff, the (login required) remains the central repository of stories, broadcasts and announcements sent by Management and Medical services. It is also the portal to pages created by UN entities in Bangkok, Geneva, Nairobi, and Vienna, and for field missions with specific local information.

Coronaviruses are a large family of respiratory viruses with some causing less-severe disease, such as the common cold, and others more severe disease such as Middle-East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). Some transmit easily from person to person, while others do not.

The Division of Healthcare Management and Occupational Safety and Health (DHMOSH) recommends the following key preventive measures against COVID-19.

Take steps to prevent illness with respiratory pathogens:

Avoid close contact with people suffering from acute respiratory infections such as with fever, cough and difficulty breathing.
Perform frequent hand-washing, especially after direct contact with ill people or their environment.
Individuals with symptoms of acute respiratory infection should practice respiratory hygiene/cough etiquette including:
- Stay at home if you are sick;
- Maintain your distance from others;
- Cover your mouth and nose with a disposable tissue when coughing or sneezing;
- Use the nearest waste receptacle to dispose of the tissue after use;
- Perform hand hygiene (e.g., hand washing with non-antimicrobial soap and water, alcohol-based hand rub, or antiseptic handwash) after having contact with respiratory secretions and contaminated objects/materials.
Avoid close contact and unprotected with live or dead farm or wild animals.
When visiting live markets in areas currently experiencing cases of novel coronavirus, avoid direct unprotected contact with live animals and surfaces in contact with animals;
The consumption of raw or undercooked animal products should be avoided. Raw meat, milk or animal organs should be handled with care, to avoid cross-contamination with uncooked foods, as per good food safety practices.
Preliminary information suggests that older adults and people with underlying health conditions may be at increased risk for severe disease from this virus.