Virtual Volunteers: New Strategies of Volunteering During the Pandemic of Covid-19

Abstract

The article is devoted to the analysis of volunteer activity during the crisis of a social life, that is the pandemic of coronavirus infection. The situation of mass stress and fear during the period of isolation has launched mechanisms of mental instability, increased emotionality, as well as the breakdown of social connections, which affects the mental and physical health of a person extremely negatively. And only volunteers tried and try to compensate for the lost sociality through sociality, which is relevant in the crisis situation of human existence. As the virus continues to spread rapidly around the world, including in Russia, telemedicine is an important risk reduction strategy for healthcare professionals, patients and their families. The situation with the spread of coronavirus infection implies a reduction in physical contacts, which contributes to the emergence of a new volunteering strategy, that is a virtual volunteering, which can relieve psycho-emotional concern, as well as take on the mission of educating the population. Virtual volunteering can serve as an intermediary between the interpersonal physical contact of volunteers and those who need the help of volunteers. It should be noted that the creation of infrastructure for virtual volunteering during this pandemic may be applicable in the future. Both during and after the pandemic, virtual volunteering can protect immunocompromised patients and volunteers, isolated or otherwise at high risk, while still allowing them either to receive or to provide psychological and information and awareness-raising services.