UNITED NATIONS, May 20 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations and its partners are working with the government of Bangladesh to support those in need following Cyclone Amphan amid COVID-19, a UN spokesman said on Wednesday.
Given the current pandemic, this support includes distributing personal protective equipment, disinfectants and other materials to evacuation shelters, said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
"We, along with our partners, are mobilizing more than 1,700 mobile health teams and preparing for emergency food deliveries," Dujarric said.
To reduce the person-to-person contact during the delivery of aid, e-cash distributions are being used, he said.
Instead of using hard currency, humanitarian agencies have been electronically transferring payments to aid recipients by way of mobile phones or remittance companies to increase aid transparency and reduce the risks associated with moving large amounts of cash.
Amphan made landfall in India near the western Bangladesh border earlier Wednesday. In the Bay of Bengal, Amphan had packed 160-kilometer winds.
The storm spared the sprawling refugee camp at Cox's Bazar, housing more than 900,000 Rohingyas, near the eastern Bangladesh border with Myanmar. Enditem
