Moderator Manual:Coronavirus

COVID-19 information for all groups

Please monitor posts on your group to make sure they comply with all governmental requirements. Click here for the latest COVID-19 guidance for members.

For areas under lockdown for COVID-19

Change of focus

Freecycle is a global community, and right now our community is under threat from a global pandemic. While we remain committed to reducing waste and keeping items out of the landfill, our main concern is the health and well-being of our members. In those areas under lockdown, the Freecycle platform offers an opportunity for those local groups to refocus on critical services by:

• serving as information hubs and help centers for local communities
• allowing essential/basic necessities, things that would save a person from a trip to the store
• disallowing nonessential items
• disallowing transactions that require person-to-person contact

Community information

Following are some examples of crisis info and updates:

• local testing sites -- WANTED: where can I do a drive-thru virus test?
• shopping restrictions
• critical info for your community -- OFFER: info on where new tent hospital is, ADMIN: list of emergency info

Basic necessities

For areas under lockdown, please allow items which are essential/basic necessities, following local and national guidance. All pickups/deliveries should be made following social distancing guidelines.

• OFFER: we have extra masks and TP (porch pickup)
• WANTED: we could use canned soup for our grandmother

Putting your group on Emergency Full Moderation

If your local situation requires restricting posts to only basic necessities, the first thing you should do is put your group on Emergency Full Moderation. The button for Emergency Full Moderation is on the Info and Options Page. Using this button sends every post to moderators for approval. The EFM period normally lasts for 3 days, but this is being extended to 2 weeks for the current crisis.

Some moderators may opt to not allow any posts at all for a period of time. We get that, and respect that, and we have your back if that's your choice locally. However, we do feel that by doing a bit more, with *great* care, we may be able to save lives, improve local well being and help to protect the local community.

For more information

Click here for a list of links to national/state information resources

If you need help

Finally: are you too overwhelmed with other things right now and unable to moderate at all? Please reach out to your regional Group Outreach and Assistance volunteer and we'll help find someone to fill in temporarily moderating your local group.