People being displaced by extreme weather events around the world are being forced to break Covid-19 social distancing safety guidelines, according to the International Federation of Red Cross and other humanitarian agencies. “Social distancing is no longer possible when displaced people are in evacuation centres,” Marshal Makavure, emergency operations co-ordinator of IFRC in Eastern Africa told the AFP. “People have been forced to break the Covid-19 protocol and guidelines under such circumstances.” The AFP has spoken with people living in areas affected by extreme weather events. IndiaSubrat Kumar Padhihary, a 38-year-old farmer in Odisha state on India’s east coast, is worried. Indian officials are on alert as Cyclone Amphan, due to hit West Bengal and Odisha on Wednesday, looks likely to intensify into a "very severe" storm. Subrat’s village is nearly 40 kilometres from the sea. The house that he shares with his wife, three daughters and mother was badly damaged by Cyclone Fani last year, so he isn’t convinced it can withstand Cyclone Amphan. But even if his house survives, he’s worried about having to leave his village if the authorities say people must evacuate. Subrat feels that might be even more dangerous. “My fear is that we will be taken to nearby schools that have already been turned into Covid-19 quarantine shelters. “There are not many centres in our village, and that means we will have to share the space with people [who may have Covid-19] which will be full of risks.” “West Bengal state has been struggling with Covid-19 cases and that is a cause of concern when it comes to cyclone preparedness,” according to Siddarth Srinivas, food and climate policy lead for Oxfam in Asia. “In the past, some states in India have rescued people by sheltering them in schools and public buildings, but this time doing that is not ideal because of the pandemic.” Uganda The Kasese district in western Uganda has been one of the worst hit by recent floods, with hundreds of people displaced. Joseline Kabugho is six months pregnant. The 23 year old has been forced to shelter with her two children in one of the school-turned-camps in the district. She’s staying at the shelter, even though her pregnancy means she is in a high-risk group when it comes to Covid-19 infection. There are nearly 200 displaced people with her at the shelter.