COVID-19: Sušice

1) Regional Caritas Sušice – a team of workers
A team of workers of the care service of the Regional Caritas Sušice is getting ready to go to clients’ homes. They are wearing necessary protective equipment – shields, face masks, gloves and disinfection – everything they need to protect both the clients and themselves. Most of their clients have families far away and depend on the help of others. They often live in remote areas of the Šumava Mountains. At the time of the COVID19 pandemic, the situation was much more difficult because they could not meet their friends or neighbours. They were isolated in their homes and charity workers were often the only persons to communicate.

2) Regional Caritas Sušice – lunch delivery and disinfection distribution
The Caritas workers are ready to deliver lunches and disinfectants, not only to the clients of their service, but to all people who were in the risk – aged 65+, because those were recommended to stay at home and not to go out. During the time of the pandemic, the Regional Caritas Sušice cooperated with local municipalities and helped distribute purchases, lunches and disinfection to all people who needed.

3) Regional Caritas Sušice – face masks
Since the very beginning when the status of emergency was declared, a lot of volunteers came forward to help the Regional Caritas. The biggest problem was the provision of protective equipment, particularly face masks that were not available throughout all the country. Together they managed to sew enough textile washable masks and distribute them to their clients, and later to the public.

4) Regional Caritas Sušice – face masks and volunteering
Pandemic time might be characterized by mutual help and determination: Together we will manage. Disinfected masks were sterile wrapped in bags. People could get them free in the centres of the Regional Caritas, in department stores, etc. In total, about 2,500 face masks sewn by volunteers were distributed. It should be noted that at the time of the pandemic wearing masks was compulsory in the Czech Republic.

5) Sušice Social Services – a team of social workers
A team of social workers in the retirement home in Sušice experienced the coronavirus crisis at first hand every day. All measures had a great impact on the home’s clients and their families. At first ban visit came and then even gathering clients was not allowed, all leisure time activities were cancelled. Day-to-day seniors lost the opportunity to see their loved ones and activities they were used to doing (e.g. reading together, exercises, lectures, holly mass…). It was social workers’ task to keep the seniors in the best possible mental and physical condition.

6) Sušice Social Services – sewing face masks
Some handy clients of the retirement home sewed masks with a little help of social workers. There were soon enough face masks available, also thanks to the help of a lot of donators from the town and its surroundings.

7) Sušice Social Services – activities with the clients
The social workers tried to keep the seniors in good physical condition every day. They could exercise in the hall or in their room. They spent a lot of time talking together or playing board games. The clients were allowed to contact their loved using modern technologies or waving hands through the closed window. The social workers made great effort to ensure that the preventive measures had the least possible impact on their clients.

8) Sušice Social Services – protective equipment
For the social workers, the pandemic period meant, above all, strict observance of hygienic measures – washing hands and disinfect them countless times a day, ventilate the rooms and all spaces, and of course, using all protective equipment.

9) A photo to lighten the topic – the Mareš Family with a snowman wearing a face mask
A big family of our Douzelage Committee chairman, Vera Marešová, decorated their house with a huge snowman with a face mask.

10) A photo to lighten the topic – the Mareš family’s original Easter eggs.