MPI Ecuador

On-site COVID Protocols & Roles

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MPI’s General Risk Assessment & Evacuation Policies

General Covid Precautions Taken by MPI

Foreign Volunteers & On-site Staff

Local Community Participants

Procedures in the case of:

Volunteer exposure, symptoms, or confirmed case

Local participant showing symptoms (as predefined)

Local participant with confirmed COVID case (who was at the Centro or in contact with MPI participants/vols/staff within the last 24 hours)

COVID Risk Assessment & Evacuation Procedures

Contingency Plans

On-site Arrival Delays & Evacuation

Contingency Situations & Responses

Operations pause before in-country arrival

Operations pause during in-country service

A new COVID variant of concern spreads within Ecuador or in the U.S.

MPI’s General Risk Assessment & Evacuation Policies 

MPI has Risk Assessment and Evacuation Policies in place for a variety of events, including if Ecuador or the U.S. government were to raise the risk level for Ecuador based on health concerns due to COVID. In the event of a COVID case within MPI’s organization, or an outbreak in Ecuador, MPI’s on-site leaders would actively coordinate with the suspected or confirmed COVID patient (volunteer), MPI US staff, any relevant university group leader or staff / faculty in the US (if applicable), and local health officials to respond quickly. The details of these policies and procedures are outlined below:

General Covid Precautions Taken by MPI

• Foreign Volunteers & On-site Staff

• Require all staff and foreign volunteers to be fully vaccinated every day they are working in-person on MPI activities
• Train MPI on-site leaders about COVID prevention and response steps
• Upon volunteer arrival, MPI on-site leaders remind volunteers to report presence of possible COVID symptoms to MPI leaders, local partner organization leaders, and any relevant university group leader for support and action.
• Ecuador Assistant Site Manager does weekly monitoring of news, and Ecuador government announcements. U.S. Executive Director does weekly monitoring of US / CDC announcements related to workplace safety.
• Follow the CDC Guidance for Businesses and Employers to Plan and Respond to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).
• In the MPI Volunteer House, vaccinated volunteers and vaccinated staff may remove masks, even when closer than 6 ft., if they wish.
• No visitors, besides staff and vols, to the House, unless special permission is granted by the staffer in charge (Site Manager, etc).

• Local Community Participants

• Follow all local and national government covid protocols and regulations, such as meeting capacity limits, masking, physical distancing, curfews and transport limits, etc.
• Per Ecuador government regulations, all persons 12 years old and older must be fully vaccinated, and show proof of being fully vaccinated, when entering indoor, public spaces, including the Manna Community Center.
• Require MPI staff, vols and program participants, at all times while engaging with local participants, to follow the COVID 2 of 3 Rule:
• Require all visitors to the Centro, and any MPI-operated event, to follestow the COVID 2 of 3 Rule during MPI events.
• Do casual, daily monitoring and reminders to see if any participants exhibit symptoms.
• Remind all visitors and staff to practice hand washing.
• If a participant shows symptoms (fever, cough, loss of smell, etc), MPI staff will ask that participant to follow the procedures, listed below in “Local participant showing symptoms”.

Procedures in the case of:

• Volunteer exposure, symptoms, or confirmed case

• Protocols if a vol or staffer has symptoms (CDC: fever, cough, loss of smell, etc), then vol or staffer becomes a patient (since vols and staffers are fully vaccinated, if they exhibit no symptoms despite close contact to a confirmed covid case, they would not be a patient (so can return immediately to group activities) and would not follow the protocols below:

• Patient informs supervisor immediately.

• Patient will be tested for COVID with a PCR or antigen test, at home or at a local clinic, at around $35 expense split 50-50 (approx. $35 cost split 50-50 between patient & MPI, up to $100 maximum expense by MPI per 30-day period per patient. After $100 contribution by MPI per patient per 30-day period, patient pays 100% of COVID test expenses within the 30-day period.)

• Patient will be quarantined, (in own room at House, or hostel, as jointly decided by patient and MPI) until COVID test results are received as negative.

• If the test is negative, then patient may return to programs / groups

• If the test is positive, the patient receives additional medical assistance (at patient expense). Patient will begin isolation based on local health officials & doctor recommendations, and retest (at 50-50 split of test expense). MPI, or a relevant government agency if able, will alert community members who had close contact with the patient testing positive, in a timely way.

• MPI’s team provides ongoing support to vols throughout the process, but not other funding (besides share of COVID test). See more about roles of MPI team, and volunteer, outlined in the table below:

• Volunteer or staffer gets a serious COVID case

• If a volunteer or staffer gets a serious COVID case, that requires hospitalization, for example, then MPI would follow our existing Ecuador Emergency Protocols, for a Major Emergency, affecting an Individual. As of September 2021, such procedures are:
• If Emergency is affecting INDIVIDUAL participant (e.g. physical or sexual assault, arrest/ criminal charges, life-threatening injury)

• If a call about a participant being hospitalized is received by the Country Director (CD), take every detail of the situation in order to be able to decide on the next step with MPI US leaders.
• If participant is alone, separate from MPI personnel, and for some reason was unable or has not called the local emergency response unit, do so immediately on their behalf as appropriate – take notes of participant’s location, type of assistance needed and reasons for immediate assistance.
• If the situation requires the CD to travel to a hospital/ emergency room and depending on the time of day, designate an acting group leader on-site with the rest of the group while the CD may be unavailable.
• MPI US leaders contact the insurance company on behalf of the participant (serious injury which may require either lengthy treatment or medical evacuation to another country or to the U.S.).
• MPI US leaders establish communication channel and counsel on informing the participant’s emergency contacts.

• It is the responsibility of the CD to evaluate the level of seriousness of any event (including their own involvement); determine the emergency category outlined above; and, establish and act upon the suggested emergency communication protocol.

• Local participant showing symptoms (as predefined)

• MPI staff will ask that participant to leave the Centro as a health precaution of all at the Centro
• Extra environmental cleaning will be completed where the participant was present.
• MPI can follow up, if comfortable, with the participant in the following days to see how they are feeling and monitor their diagnosis
• A fully vaccinated participant will be asked not to return to the Centro until receiving a negative covid test, or when symptoms end. A participant not fully vaccinated can return after getting a negative covid test, or 48 hours after their symptoms subside without the use of medications

• Local participant with confirmed COVID case (who was at the Centro or in close contact with MPI participants/vols/staff within the last 48 hours)

• Fully vaccinated people who had close contact with the COVID case must stay away from MPI programs until they either have no symptoms, or a negative COVID test. People not fully vaccinated should stay away 5 days.
• MPI informs local authorities of the case, and informs all program participants within 24 hours of learning of such a confirmed case.
• Extra environmental cleaning will be completed where the participant was present. 
• Test MPI volunteers/staff who had close contact AND show COVID symptoms (same protocol as exposure listed above)
• The infected participant will not to return to the Centro for at least 5 days, and EITHER after receiving a negative test result (test must occur on day 5 or later), OR if fully vaccinated, after symptoms subside or are gone. For unvaccinated family members in close contact with the positive case, the members stay away from MPI activities for 5 days and then only return with a negative COVID test. For vaccinated family members, they can remain at the Centro as long as they have no symptoms.

COVID Risk Assessment & Evacuation Procedures

Contingency Plans

In the case of any of the following, MPI’s Board and ED will meet within 48 hours to determine the best contingency plan and/or if evacuation is necessary. (Potential to have the board to have a covid point person to expedite discussion.)

• Over 50% of local participants of MPI-operated programs are NOT willing to attend in person
• In-country government COVID regulations limit indoor gatherings to <49% capacity (but not fully prohibited)
• For more than one week, COVID tests are not easily available in local province (due to time, price or short supply)

• If 3+ wks, then default would be to delay arrival / evacuate

On-site Arrival Delays & Evacuation

In the case of the following, MPI’s default response would be to postpone on-site placements and evacuate current volunteers. MPI’s Board could choose a different contingency plan instead if deemed more appropriate given the specific circumstances at the time:

• Very high spread of COVID (CDC Level 4)
• Hospital occupancy is very high (> 90%) in local provinces
• In-country government COVID regulations restrict any indoor gatherings (i.e. limit of 0% capacity)

Contingency Situations & Responses

• Operations pause before in-country arrival

• A soon-to-arrive PD is in the U.S., buys her flight ticket one month before arrival to Ecuador, and before she flies, on site operations are paused indefinitely. Vol would change her flight, at her own expense. MPI would invite her to work virtually during on site pause, and postpone her full term of on site PD experience until she and MPI were ready. If she cancelled, she would get a full refund for the deposit, U.S. background check fees, and PD fees. MPI could suggest vols pay the extra, small fee when booking flights to be able cancel/change dates for free.  

• Operations pause during in-country service

• A vol is on site in Ecuador, and on site programs pause, but it’s safe to work from home virtually and live in Ecuador. Vol can choose to work remotely in Ecuador, or in the U.S., at her own expense for flights.  For the first month being virtual, vol would pay regular, on site fee, even if she leaves Ecuador. If on site operations pause for more than 1 month, vol would pay regular PD fees in future months if she stays in Ecuador using MPI House, food, transport, etc. If vol ends using these local benefits, but continues virtual service with MPI, vol would pay the virtual fee around $300/mo. If vol ends all service with MPI, vol would get a prorated refund for the cancelled months.

• A new COVID variant of concern spreads within Ecuador or in the U.S.

• Follow local health regulations first, then U.S. regulations, to guide response and protocols.