Chapter 6: Enable all children, young people and adults to maximise their capabilities and have control over their lives

Impact of the pandemic on ethnically diverse and/or minoritised communities People from ethnic minority communities are at higher risk of mortality due to Covid-19. People from ethnic minority communities also provided more hours of unpaid care, experienced higher levels of income loss, and were twice as likely to have experienced food insecurity throughout the pandemic. (Suleman M, Sonthalia S, Webb C, Tinson A, Kane M, Bunbury S, Finch D, Bibby J. (2021) Unequal pandemic, fairer recovery: The COVID-19 impact inquiry report. The Health Foundation (opens new window)) 

Gateshead Visible Ethnic Minorities Support Group (GVEMSG)-GemArts works with the most isolated, disadvantaged and vulnerable Black Asian and Minority Ethnic communities to develop their personal, social and creative skills. Covid-19 has had a huge impact on our communities and has further amplified existing health and racial inequalities as people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities are more likely to suffer long-term impacts and poor outcomes from Covid-19.
 

We know that many people from our communities during this crisis are feeling even more isolated, lonely, worried and vulnerable, which is having a negative impact on their health and wellbeing - with women, older people, children and young people at greatest risk. Due to social, economic and cultural barriers, language barriers,mainstream services not being culturally appropriate and digital exclusion, exacerbated by the pandemic, it has been an extremely challenging time for our communities. 

Much of the support and advice during the pandemic has been online and this has created more barriers as many people from our communities are not able to access or afford digital devices, cannot afford data if they do have devices, live in overcrowded housing so have little privacy, or have very limited digital skills, and if they can access online advice and support, they are not confident to do so as English is not their first language. In addition, community groups are not meeting, community spaces have been closed and support staff have been furloughed so engaging and supporting communities face to face has been a huge challenge.
 

From the beginning of the pandemic GVEMSG-GemArts quickly responded to community needs and worked with our amazing staff and volunteers to:

• create multi language Covid-19 advice videos 
• offer a telephone befriending and translation/interpretation service for vulnerable minority ethnic communities to access support and advice 
• expand our arts, health and wellbeing programme by cooking 100 hot Indian vegetarian meals per week and delivering them with creative arts packs to vulnerable families and those who are shielding across Gateshead 
• produce and deliver culturally appropriate training and advice to support Gateshead Covid Champions programme.

We have also been able to create a safe environment where people from minority ethnic communities and those with lived experience can discuss their communities' legitimate concerns about the vaccine without stifling debate, and challenge misinformation and receive 
reliable messaging about the programme. 
Vikas Kumar MBE, Director, GEM Arts

Peace of Mind is a refugee led community charity. When the pandemic struck, so many people lost their jobs. We took on the role of a food bank.

We went from helping 50 people a week to 107 families, representing above 200 children, accessing our culturally appropriate food parcel support every week during the first lockdown.
 

Covid had the biggest impact on those with no recourse to public funds. Most homeless/refused asylum seekers were offered accommodation but often found difficult to access hot food. One homeless asylum seeker told us in the first lockdown, "This pandemic will not kill me, but the poverty and hunger will kill me." Along with food poverty, the biggest issue of the pandemic and lockdown has been the impact on the mental health of refugees/asylum seekers.
 

Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities were more vulnerable to the virus. Chinese communities got abuse and people from other communities, who could not wear a face mask, were accused of spreading the virus. 
Sara Muzaffar, Chairperson, Peace of Mind
 

There was often a reluctance for people to stay at home when they were ill. People are grateful to have a job, they feel that they have to go to 
work and shouldn't be off sick. If they work in the gig economy or agency work, they needed to go into work to earn money. They either 
didn't know about any financial support available or didn't want to ask for it.
 

For refugees, immigration status can lead to lots of conspiracy and myths. If they are waiting for a decision from the Home Office, they might think that having Covid symptoms will affect their immigration status (even though the Home Office was saying that this wasn't the case). Vaccinations also gave rise to conspiracy theories, particularly where there is lack of trust or confidence in authorities.
 

Refugees and asylum seekers are in a different situation to more established Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities. The Government lumped everyone together. Gateshead Public Health Team worked with different groups to develop information for refugees and asylum seekers for different asylum seeker and refugee communities. The Public Health Team trained members of each community. Information was translated into different local languages. 

Myths and conspiracy theories about vaccines were tackled by talking and listening and discussion with communities. 
Sirak Hagos, Director, Integration Station