Over 600,000 people targeted in the Operation hygiene and water in the cities of Antananarivo, Moramanga and Toamasina in response to COVID-19

More than 600,000 people targeted in the operation related to hygiene and water in the cities of Antananarivo, Moramanga and Toamasina to respond to COVID-19, initiated by the Ministry of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene with its partners as part of the Avotr'Aina operation.

Antananarivo, June 30, 2020: A large campaign for better access to clean water and better hygiene is launched in three cities for the next three months. The targets are the most vulnerable households in urban municipalities of Antananarivo (CUA) and Toamasina as well as public places including schools, standpipes, markets, etc… This national campaign initiated by the MEAH, with over $470,000 funding from UNICEF and its donors (DFID, KOICA, DANIDA, UNICEF) aims to reduce the spread of COVID-19 through various activities including:

• To supply drinking water at a subsidized rate of 20 Ariary for one 20-liter jerry can in Antananarivo and 50 ariary in Toamasina. This is meant for 600,000 vulnerable people using 2,000 standpipes in these urban municipalities.
• To supply Hand Washing Devices with soap in 2,500 public places (standpipes, markets, etc.)
• To distribute soaps to 200,000 people in 40,000 most vulnerable households affected by Covid-19

For Antananarivo:

·         To set up awareness posters in public transport and public places, while reinforcing messages related to barrier gestures and hand washing;

·         To provide the Municipality’s Mobile Hygiene Brigade with HTH and PPE inputs for disinfecting 12,500 vehicles providing public transport in the capital;

·         To supply washable face masks to 21,000 drivers and fare collectors of 12,500 vehicles providing public transport for the capital;

·         To supply hydroalcoholic gel to be used in public transport for 5,500 taxis and 7,000 minibuses;

·         To disinfect houses for households with COVID-19 positive cases and their surroundings;

·         To strengthen awareness campaigns on handwashing with soap and water.

This program responds to the worrying hygiene situation in the capital where only 34% of the population has handwashing devices with soap and water. Nevertheless, washing hands with soap is the simplest and essential gesture in the fight against COVID-19.

The use of public transport poses a serious risk of spreading the virus due to the promiscuity of users and insofar as hygiene rules are not always respected.

It is against this background that UNICEF supports the MEAH and the urban municipalities of Antananarivo (CUA), Moramanga and Toamasina within the framework of the Covid-19 response and the WASH Sector response plan which is part of the Multisectoral Emergency Plan of Madagascar.  This support is intended to enhance prevention activities and help break the chain of transmission of COVID-19 at the level of vulnerable households, fokontany and neighborhoods affected by COVID-19 cases, at the level of public places (sanitary facilities, schools, markets and railway stations) as well as public transport.

"UNICEF reiterates the importance of hygiene and sanitation to stop the spread of the pandemic. It is essential to ensure very strict monitoring of the use of these materials as well as the implementation of the approaches to these protocols," said Michel Saint-Lot, UNICEF representative in Madagascar.

The Minister of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, Voahary Rakotovelomanantsoa, ​​stresses: "The response actions inevitably recall the importance of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in all response actions for covid-19. Hands are one of the main transmission routes of Covid-19. Therefore, washing hands with soap and water is one of the most effective means of prevention."

The same operation is planned to be launched in Moramanga and Toamasina in the coming days.