The American Red Cross is preparing for the Atlantic hurricane season to ramp up, but the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted how they can operate.

Coronavirus complications have reduced the number of volunteers the Red Cross can rely on to respond in emergency situations. 

Red Cross volunteer Peter Schubert says the virus has changed the way they respond to disasters.

Schubert said, “Alll of our Red Cross volunteers are required to wear masks and depending upon where you go you would have to come back and be tested and then quarantine or self quarantine. The pandemic has cut back on our resources. A lot of our volunteers are retired or in the 50 to 70 [years old] category, therefore don't have a lot of those volunteers available to go out."

The Red Cross of Massachusetts is currently looking for volunteers for positions such as shelter supervisors and service associates to assist in running shelters in the event of an emergency.