Recovery, Renewal, Resilience

Psychological First Aid (PFA) provides basic emotional and practical support to help reduce distress and enable a person to adapt, cope and recover. Specific amendments may be needed to include COVID-19-related issues and recognised that some people may be at risk of more serious distress. For COVID-19 some of these risk factors include:

• Being at higher risk of contracting COVID-19
• Have serious losses, e.g. of loved ones, livelihood
• Already experiencing significant stress
• Have pre-existing mental illness
• Absence of a well-developed social network

Consider:

• Providing PFA training for organisations and the wider community e.g. schools, religious groups (as it is not just for professionals) to alleviate strains on health and social care services
• Providing additional training to volunteers on how to safely recognise when someone may need more specialised support
• Ensuring that those who provide PFA have sufficiently accurate and up-to-date information on COVID-19
• That those who provide PFA have cultural and social sensitivities for the locale
• Offering additional training to volunteers on how to recognise if their own mental health and well-being needs are being met

Legionella is a type of bacteria that can become a health concern when found in man-made water systems. While buildings remain closed due to the pandemic, it is important that water systems are well maintained to prevent future health issues like Legionella. If breathed in through droplets in the air, the bacteria can cause Legionnaires' disease, a respiratory illness with some similar symptoms to COVID-19 e.g. a fever, cough, shortness of breath. The European Working Group for Legionella Infections (ESGLI) has put together a guidance document on how to best manage Legionella in building water systems during this COVID-19 outbreak. Consider ESGLI guidance to manage the safety of buildings' water systems:

https://www.rsph.org.uk/membership/webinars/how-to-ensure-your-building-water-system-is-safe-during-and-post-covid-19.html

Testing is considered critical to managing COVID-19, and mitigating the risk of diagnostic-supply shortages can help contain the virus and support efforts to scale testing. Diagnostic testing can confirm or determine the presence of disease in an individual suspected of having a disease. Continuing to identify those who are infected with COVID-19 remains important to treat and isolate them, and to enhance knowledge of the disease. Consider how to:

• Map available laboratory-testing capacity which can be underutilized e.g. laboratories around the USA have reported unused capacity which could be used to conduct more tests
• Maximize existing laboratory capacity by assessing: workflows; number of trained and personnel; compile a full inventory of equipment
• Partner with Universities and major diagnostic manufacturers e.g. to share equipment, research facilities, and trained personnel
• Using less resources through pooled testing of people for COVID-19 (The Manchester Briefing Week 17)

National Voices, a coalition of English health and social care charities, published its report on 'Five principles for the next phase of the COVID-19 response'. Their five principles seek to ensure that policy changes resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic meet the needs of people and engage with citizens affected most by the virus and lockdown, especially those with underlying health concerns. They advocate that the future should be more compassionate and equal, with people's rights at its centre. The principles have been developed based on dialogues with hundreds of charities and people living with underlying health conditions. Consider how your policy changes:

• Actively engage with, consult, co-produce, and act on the concerns of those most impacted by policy changes that may profoundly affect their lives
• Make everyone matter, leave no-one behind as all lives, all people, in all circumstances, matter so needs to be weighed up the same in any Government policy
• Confront inequality head-on as, "we're all in the same storm, but we're not all in the same boat" e.g. difference in finances, work/living conditions, personal characteristics
• Recognise people, not categories, by strengthening personalised care and rethinking the category of 'vulnerable' to be more holistic, beyond health-related vulnerabilities
• Value health, care, connection, friendship, and support equally as people need more than medicine, and charities and communities need to be enabled to help

In many countries, myths around the origin, transmission and even existence of COVID-19 are rife. In Argentina, public health experts have successfully worked with the Catholic Church to go door-to-door at the community level to dispel inaccuracies about the virus. This included working to reduce people's fears over providing information for contact tracing. The Church has also provided their buildings to house vulnerable people unable to isolate due to crowded living conditions in slums. Consider:

• The strength of message that local voices can add to public communications about behavioural changes to tackle COVID-19
• Coordination between government officials and faith-based/civil society organisations to ensure the most vulnerable are able to register for COVID-19 support and information
• Using local religious buildings to assist gathering or disseminating COVID-19 information in the community as these are well-known
• The role of faith-based/civil society organisations in disseminating information in multiple languages, or to those without access to the internet or regular news updates
• How working with faith-based/civil society organisations increases localised access to populations affected by directly and indirectly by COVID-19 - socially those who may not be integrated into the system e.g. the homeless

Reference: Public Health expert, Argentina

COVID-19 has exacerbated the health and social care inequalities experienced by LGBTQ+ people as they are likely to living with conditions that impact their health and well-being. LGBTQ+ people are at high risk of pre-existing poor mental health; social isolation; substance misuse; living in unsafe environments; financial instability; homelessness; and negative experiences with health services as a result of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Consider partnering with LGBTQ+ organisations to:

• Support test track and trace. The LGBT Foundation's community survey on COVID-19found that: 64% of respondents would rather receive COVID-19 support from an LGBT specific organisation. This rises in other LGBTQ+ groups to: 71% of Black, Asian and minority ethnic LGBT people; 69% of disabled LGBT people, 76% of trans people and 74% of non-binary people
• Collect sexual orientation and trans status data alongside COVID-19 transmission and infection data to provide reliable data on the impact of COVID-19 on LGBTQ+ people
• Provide safe accommodation during COVID-19; 8% of respondents to the LGBT Foundation's community survey said they felt unsafe where they were currently staying
• Prepare for the hospitalisation of trans people (e.g. allocation to wards with the gender they identify with, or providing private areas)

COVID-19 has been a struggle for client-facing businesses - and sex work is no different[1]. What complicates support for those in sex work is the stigmatisation and lack of recognition workers receive[2]. Sex workers are less likely to seek, or even be eligible for, government-led social protection or economic initiatives to support small businesses[3] which has proved a serious issue during COVID-19. Most sex work has ceased due to social distancing and travel restrictions, leaving many marginalised, and economically precarious people even more vulnerable[4]. While some sex workers have been trying to move their work online4, many have been financially compromised3 resulting in potentially unsafe practices, both in terms of contracting COVID-19, and increased risk of homelessness and abuse[5]

Sex worker-led organisations have therefore had to set up hardship funds to fill the gap left by exclusionary government policies2. Such policies are demonstrated by delays in opening licensed sex work premises in Germany, where sex work is legal[6]. The Association of Sex Workers in Germany argued that brothels “could easily incorporate pandemic safety measures adopted by other industries, including face masks, ventilating premises and recording visitors’ contact details”6. Such measures have been successful in Zambia where authorities were able to trace a number of COVID-19 cases working with sex workers as investigations aimed not to “stigmatise or discriminate against them”[7].

Key interventions to address the impacts of COVID-19 among sex workers have been identified, with a view that “all interventions and services must be designed and implemented in collaboration with sex-worker-led organisations”[3]. These include[3]:

• Providing financial benefits and social protection for all sex workers, including migrants with illegal or uncertain residency status
• Stopping arrests and prosecutions for sex work which have been shown to be harmful to health
• Targeting health promotion advice on prevention of COVID-19 with language translation
• Distributing of hand sanitiser, soap, condoms, and personal protective equipment
• Maintaining and extending person-centred services to address needs e.g. mental health, substance use, physical and sexual violence, and sexual and reproductive health
• COVID-19 testing and contact tracing among sex workers

[1] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-52183773

[2] https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/beyond-trafficking-and-slavery/covid-19-illuminates-discriminatory-sex-work-policies/

[3] https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)31033-3/fulltext

[4] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-52821861

[5] https://www.swarmcollective.org/blog

[6] https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-germany-brothels/hamburg-sex-workers-demand-germanys-brothels-reopen-idUSKCN24D09U

[7] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-52604961

To read this case study in its original format, follow the source link below to TMB Issue 17 (p.18).

Self-isolation, and limited access to school, has driven more children online during the pandemic. Spending more time on virtual platforms can leave children vulnerable to online sexual exploitation by predators (see also The Manchester Briefing Week 14). Increased and unstructured time online, alongside limited face-to-face contact with friends or partners, can lead to heightened risk-taking such as: sending sexualized images, exposure to potentially harmful content, and cyberbullying. Consider:

• Some children may be more vulnerable than others (e.g. those with learning disabilities) and may need specific types of support and training for them and their guardians
• Retaining access to child services and keeping guardians informed of where to find online safety information for themselves and for young people (e.g. antivirus software, parental controls on devices)
• Information for guardians on talking with young people about who they communicate with online
• Training health, education and social service workers on the impacts that COVID-19 may have on increased online risks for young people
• Educational initiatives on cyber safety and to provide local helplines and hotlines for adults and young people, including counselling
• Enhancing online safety measures, especially while using virtual learning tools
• Schools updating safeguarding policies to reflect the new realities for children learning online

To prepare for the impact of a natural disaster alongside COVID-19, research should focus on modelling natural hazards beside epidemiological risks. This can inform public health responses to manage, for example, the dual challenges of dealing with the effects of flooding and preventing localised COVID-19 outbreaks). Consider pre-emptive strategies to counter the compounded risks of COVID-19 and natural hazards:

• Identify possible pandemic-natural disaster hybrid scenarios including worst-case scenarios
• Work with multiple organisations to build new hybrid forecast models that combine existing pandemic projection models and natural hazard forecasting
• Consider seasonal weather forecasting models in advance and their impact on transmission and health and response capacity
• Re-design response plans to focus on COVID-19 restrictions e.g. impacts on emergency aid distribution, involvement of volunteers, access to PPE, providing shelter, food distribution
• Exercise the impact of concurrent emergencies to identify key learning and integrate that learning refreshing plans in the light of COVID-19

Part 2: We build on TMB 16 and consider how to apply the VSM's 5 systems to understand and debrief on experiences of COVID-19 in a structured, systems manner.

To read this briefing in full, follow the source link below (p.2-6).

Throughout the response to the pandemic, many private sector companies have offered donations, skills, knowledge and resources to support local and national efforts to tackle effects of the virus. Businesses have a considerable role to play in recovery and renewal as they continue to support their local communities, supply chains, staff, and wider stakeholders. Advice from the World Health Organization suggests to consider asking the private sector to:

• Protect against COVID-19 by:
  • Informing stakeholders on protecting staff and communities at work, protecting jobs and livelihoods, tackling mis-information
  • Protecting businesses through: business continuity plans, supply chain continuity, maintaining essential infrastructures and services, protecting jobs, acting responsibly towards suppliers
• Participate in the COVID-19 response by:
  • Producing essential supplies, repurposing production capabilities towards making essential supplies, providing in-kind contributions, making available supplies and services
  • Providing financial support to coordinated charity drives, supporting NGO and community needs

More information on each 'ask' is available in the WHO guide along with links to other resources and information.

Consider how to develop a space to remember and honour people who have died in your city and their stories, by developing an online memorial site with photographs, and some words from family and friends. Consider how to gather accurate information on identified deaths from COVID-19:

• Confirm the death with a third party, such as a news organization or city agency - directly tie the cause to COVID-19
• Take contributions from victims' families and confirmation by an immediate family member or next of kin
• Check victim details, such as last known address and age e.g. through voter registration data
• Partner with institutions that can help provide up-to-date lists of the deceased
• Use reports from news organizations, paid obituaries from online sources (e.g. Legacy.com) and local news publications
• Check verified posts from victims' families on social-media platforms, such as Twitter and Facebook
• Check announcements from victims' private and public-sector employers and unions
• Check official releases from city and state agencies, e.g. Police Department

Part 1: We begin by exploring how the experience of COVID-19 prompts consideration of what national and local (ambitious) renewal of systems to develop resilience to crises and major emergencies could look like. We present a model of 5 systems: operational delivery; coordination; management; intelligence; and policy. This briefing elevates thinking from the performance of individual organisations into considering the performance of the system as a whole.

To read this briefing in full, follow the source link below to TMB Issue 16 (p.2-7).

Spare capacity is expensive when it is not being used so, in many cases, systems are lean and focus on maximising their utilisation, ongoing value for money, efficiency and return on initial investment. However, this reduces ability to rapidly access capacity and to react quickly in emergency situations. During the early stages of COVID-19 in different countries we witnessed the attempt to delay the impact of the virus so that the system could create needed capacity in areas of healthcare. This time was used to create spare capacity by freeing up beds, sourcing equipment and supplies expected to be needed, preparing staff, identifying processes to pause or reduce to redeploy resources to more critical activities, retrain staff in other critical activities. As countries analyse the potential of future waves of the pandemic, consider:

• What important services are/have been stretched to (or exceed) maximum capacity during the response e.g. healthcare (intensive care), schools (number of socially distanced pupils in classrooms)
• Where demand for important services could exceed available capacity during recovery and Renewal e.g. provision of mental health support, financial advice, unemployment services, retraining
• Where spare capacity should be built into the system so that an appropriate response can be rapidly provided to emergencies e.g. ongoing response to COVID-19, concurrent emergencies, future outbreaks of the virus
• How spare capacity can be created, protected, and prioritised for rapid use when needed
• The need for spare capacity on an ongoing basis after the crisis lessens

Reference: Interview with German Fire Department

In Melbourne (Australia), residents of a tower block on hard lockdown put together an information sheet for the predominantly non-English speaking community to explain the government's measures. The information sheet was translated into ten written, and five oral languages within 24 hours. The information sheet was then distributed among residents within the tower via text and WhatsApp and to community networks to help disseminate government messaging to communities more widely. Consider:

• Assessing whether your organisation has information translated sufficiently for the communities it interacts with
• How to effectively disseminate information to marginalised communities, and the networks most adept at doing this
• How to engage with networks that can access marginalised people in their communities, through religious or social networks to assess if needs are being met and if information is being received and understood
• The efficiency of utilising community networks to identify different languages and cultures, and their proficiency in translating key public health messages

Researchers believe that the main threat to the blood supply is not COVID-19 itself, but the unintended consequences of social distancing on blood donations. This has resulted in uncertain patterns of demand for blood and reductions in donations. Consider:

• Monitoring the supply and demand in hospital based and transfusion services so sufficient blood stocks are maintained to support ongoing critical needs e.g. for major trauma
• Mitigating (theoretical) transmission of COVID-19 from asymptomatic individuals e.g.:
  • Persons donating blood must inform donation centres if they develop a respiratory illness within 14 days of the donation
  • Persons should refrain from donating blood if they have travelled to areas with high community transmission
  • Persons who have recovered from diagnosed COVID-19 should not donate blood for 14 days after full recovery
• How to mitigate staff and donor exposure to COVID-19 through appropriate PPE and sanitation
• How to mitigate donor decline through clear, proactive and consistent communication strategies to address and overcome donor anxiety which often stem from misinformation
• Systems to enable re-entry of COVID-19 infected donors to donation centres after full recovery

More information from the WHO can be found here.

The basic idea of pooled testing is that instead of testing samples from individuals one at a time, samples from multiple individuals (pools) would be mixed together at a testing facility, and tested as one sample. If the test comes back negative the whole pool is clear. If the test is positive, the pool can be tested individually instead. Pooled testing is a means to test more people faster, using few tests, and for less money, and has long been used to test large asymptomatic populations for disease e.g. to screen for sexually transmitted diseases, and to test donated blood for Hepatitis B and C, Zika virus and HIV. Consider:

• The cost saving benefits of pooled testing over testing each individual - schools and businesses saddled with testing costs could lower costs by as much as 75%
• The scalability of pooled testing - batched testing of pools can provide data covering large areas such as schools and businesses
• Pooled testing could ramp up the number of coronavirus tests while lowering testing costs, especially in low-prevalence areas

Wastewater-based epidemiology groups in Australia, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the USA have already reported detecting traces of COVID-19 in wastewater. Although COVID-19 is not known to infect humans through sewage or wastewater, similar diseases can, and so monitoring the behaviour of COVID-19 in these environments is important. Consider integrating sewer surveillance and wastewater inspections into systems for COVID-19 monitoring:

• Develop a 'dashboard' of data to assess the correlations between all collated COVD-19-related indicators as seen in the Netherlands
• Provide information on potential transmission pathways and improve the early warning of new outbreaks by understanding the relationships between: wastewater analysis, the number registered infected people, and societal or behavioural traits

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a challenging time for everyone, especially in trying to adjust to new routines and living and working environments. This may be particularly true for children with autism and their parents, as children with autism have trouble adjusting to, coping with, and understanding change. To help with this, help parents to explain the current situation in clear and simple ways and can help children with autism to adjust to the 'new normal'. One way of doing this is to provide parents with access to materials that frame COVID-19 as a germ that can make people sick, so it is important to stay away from others and not touch things.

Advise parents to reiterate important rules to children with autism is also important to help them cope, such as:

• Washing hands well and often (for at least 20 seconds)
• Not touching their nose, mouth, and eyes
• Keeping at least 6 feet away from other people
• Wearing a cloth face covering or face mask in public places

Face coverings may be difficult for autistic children, some parents have had successes in attaching the ear loops on masks to their child's favourite hat with buttons to reduce sensitivity. Make authorities (such as transport providers, Police) aware of "Facemask Exemption Cards" that have been produced by organisations for parents to print out for those who cannot wear a mask. Local government can support parents of children with autism by working with respected specialist organisations to advise parents e.g. one encouraging mask wearing

• Demonstrate using the face mask on a preferred object or person, such as a stuffed animal, a doll, or a family member
• Allow the person to choose among different types of fabric face masks to find one that is most comfortable
• Start by practicing wearing the face mask for short durations of time, allowing for breaks when needed
• Plan initial outings in low-demand environments that are quiet and calm, so that the individual can experience success wearing the face mask
• Use a printed photo or digital photo of the individual wearing a face mask as a visual cue to wear the mask before outings

In addition to these changes, losing the daily routine that going school provides adds an additional layer of complexity for children with autism, and outs them at risk of not receiving the social care and support they require. While, some children may have found home schooling difficult, the time spent away from school may have resulted in the development of a new routine at home where they feel safe. As such, returning to school may cause anxiety and distress. Local government should inform teachers that some ways of reducing these anxieties include:

• Providing a visit to the school before it reopens if possible, to help children familiarise themselves with their environment and staff again
• Encouraging homes to introduce changes that are made in school at home e.g. explain social distancing measures, ask for photos of new classroom layouts to show children
• Asking parents for information about your child during COVID-19 so they have an understanding of their needs and how these may have changed due to COVID-19 restrictions

COVID-19 has also been a challenging time for parents of children with autism. One parent in the UK stated that support for them and their child had been reduced to occasional phone calls and they felt like they had been "left to struggle alone". They also stated that they were repeating the same or similar activities with their child from before lockdown and that it felt like their child's development had stalled. They stated that increased resources from their child's support worker such as a timetable of activities and development would have helped and made the experience of self-isolation and lockdown "less distressing".

Providing specialised phone lines and centralised hubs with resources for parents is vital, to ensure their well-being and that of their children, via reliable information and support. Local government can help employers to realise that parents also need to find ways to balance work and childcare responsibilities this can include:

• Arrange to work from home to ensure supervision, or childcare sharing arrangements with friends and family
• Prepare information about the child's support needs and successful learning and behaviour strategies for anyone caring for the child
• Develop an emergency contact list, and discuss it with friends and family. Include names and numbers of your personal autism support network, as well as medical providers
• Contact local organizations who may be able to offer support.
• Look through the child's medical records or evaluations related to autism as these may have recommendations on areas to focus on and can help you with making learning plans while schools are closed
• Reach out to others to maintain social support for the whole family e.g. social media, social media groups for autistic people and their families, and other virtual support groups that provide online resources for finding empathy and ideas while self-isolating or in lockdown

To read this case study in its original format (including references) follow the source link below to TMB Issue 16 (p.19-20).

With many schools closed, and young people adapting to learning remotely from home, access to the internet and digital devices has become imperative. As a result there is a growing divide between children who have internet access and those who do not. In Spain, disadvantaged students are 14% less likely to get online, compared to students who were not disadvantaged. Additionally, disadvantaged students in the country were without a tablet, a laptop or any way of linking into online platforms, and many disadvantaged families were not confident with technology when it was provided to them. In some cases teachers have resorted to using class WhatsApp groups, as most households had access to a mobile phone. To support online learning from home consider:

• Training teachers, students and their families to use online platforms and technology (and not assuming that they already have those skills)
• The availability of technology at home (e.g. mobile phones) and alternative teaching/ communication methods such as using WhatsApp
• Partnerships with internet providers to support disadvantaged families with the cost of internet access
• Partnering with software and technology firms to support disadvantaged children to gain access to hardware such as tablets and software
• Donation campaigns through schools to collect old phones, laptops and tablets that can be refurbished and distributed

During COVID-19 many training facilities that equip staff with specialist skills have been unable to work effectively so accreditation has not been possible. Furthermore, medical fitness for work certificates may have expired and not been renewed due to the pressures on the healthcare system. Across many sectors (e.g. emergency services, construction, healthcare), these effects could have consequences for the availability of staff who have the required skills/training and are permitted to work; a problem accentuated by the departure of skilled staff during the crisis. Consider:

• How your workforce's skills profile has changed as a result of the effects of COVID-19 e.g.:
  • training centres stopping training new recruits, meaning there is a lack of new staff in the recruitment pipeline
  • expiration of staff's specialist qualifications/registration, meaning they are not permitted/qualified to deliver usual activities
  • granting of medical eligibility to work during the crisis, and impacts on staff ability to work
  • staff being made unemployed or retiring during the crisis
  • staff who have contracted COVID-19 and who are unable to return to normal duties
• Putting temporary waivers in place to enable workers to continue despite their skills expiring
• How staff whose qualifications have expired during COVID-19 can be re-accredited
• How to ensure staff are medically fit to work
• How to address and overcome the immediate impacts of a shortage of accredited staff
• How to mitigate the multi-year impacts on your sector from COVID-19's disruption to skills, training and staff loss

Reference: Fire Department, Germany

With social distancing, limited public transport, and advice on safe working practices, some employers have closed work sites and have required staff to work from home. Many staff report that they work from home diligently, often putting in extra time to support their employer. However, some staff report suspicion that colleagues who are being paid to work from home are not working diligently; for example, logging onto work but not working, failing to attend meetings or provide agreed deliverables, enjoying alternative activities when they should be working, or working reduced hours. In recognition of the disparity between peoples' approaches to working from home, consider:

• how perceived disparity of effort may build resentment across the workforce
• how resentment may manifest itself, create difficult interpersonal working environments, and when intervention from senior staff is needed
• whether this perceived disparity will change work cultures and expectations beyond COVID-19

To address any resentment, consider:

• keeping an open mind on why resentment has developed
• addressing resentment by talking with staff regularly and when resentment is first detected
• identifying how different staff contribute to the organisation in different ways and why these may not always be visible to other colleagues
• communicating justification for work allocation across staff, ensuring fairness at work
• how the organisations may support staff to improve arrangements for working from home
• when conversations are needed to address performance concerns

Tracking public opinion can provide insights into how a society is coping with rapid change, and provides organisations with data that can influence decision-making. During a pandemic this is particularly important as complex information is shared with the public at speed, understanding how this is being understood can help develop evidence-based interventions to support the population. Consider collecting the following types of public opinion information to inform recovery strategies:

• Perceptions of COVID-19 threats to the country, and to individuals
• Use of health services and health seeking behaviours e.g. how comfortable individuals are seeking treatment from hospitals or GPs
• Perceptions of health and care services and how well specific services are managing the pandemic
• Impacts on individuals' sleeping
• Perceptions of local, region or national partnerships e.g. businesses working with local authorities to combat COVID-19
• Impacts of COVID-19 on personal finances, whether positive, negative or neutral
• Perceptions of government performance in dealing with recovery

The population's outlook on getting 'back to normal'

Introduction

As local resilience partnerships establish Recovery Coordinating Groups (RCG), this week we talk about impact assessments using details from: HMG Guidance[1], previous briefings (Week 8), and our video[2].

Establish the RCG for COVID-19

When setting up an RCG there are a number of considerations, including:

• the administrative level – the level of the RCG and how it relates to other district/county RCGs
• collaboration – how will strategic partners: align ambitions for partnership-wide recovery/renewal; establish protocols to share information; and agree which activities for each administrative level RCG
• membership – led by local authorities and include organisations with a people, place or economic focus as well as Cat 1 responders
• agree strategic objectives – to support the recovery and renewal of people, place, and processes

Commission an impact assessment

Impact assessments will feed into RCG, either by direct commission or through a strategic coordination group. The assessment will explore the strategic effects of COVID-19, their impacts, specific or emerging system-wide needs or inequalities, and opportunities to improve. National Recovery Guidance1 describes the process of conducting an Impact Assessment as in the graphic:

Collect the consequences

We suggest that the complexity of COVID-19 means the impact assessment should be as strategic and straightforward as possible. RCGs should have strategic-level agreement on the direction, scope and parameters for the impact assessment. Then, strategic information from many sources is needed to fully understand impacts e.g. from partner databases, existing measures, knowledgeable people, surveys, interviews/workshops, or other sources that unlock the impacts on people, place, and processes.

Talking to knowledgeable people should aim to ensure that the assessment does not gather thousands of comments which cloud more than they clarify. A straightforward approach, targeting knowledgeable groups who can support the process, will put more focus on the quality of their insight than on the number of people consulted or number of comments made. For example, consider whether the impact assessment would be better informed if it is more than:

• a single question e.g.: “What significant consequences has COVID-19 had on your area of work?”
• asked to all partners or cell leaders who will consult knowledgeable people as required
• to provide their top 8 consequences on their service delivery to people, place, processes and identify:
  • Is it an effect, impact, or opportunity?
  • What is its impact rating (e.g. ‘positive, limited, moderate, severe’)?
  • Should it be addressed in the short-term or longer-term?

Using this approach, if 15 cells are running then 120-150 significant consequences would be gathered – so to understand these and design corrective actions is a substantial activity. Magnify that ten-fold (in the number of questions, consultees or consequences) and the task becomes unwieldy either collecting overlapping consequences or ones of lower significant.

Analyse the consequences

To make sense of the comments, group the comments into the 6 core topics to:

• validate their diversity and broad-based nature;
• identify recurring and complementary topics of significance;
• provide a basis to identify follow-on actions

Within each core topic, grouping comments by the 38 sub-topics (in the graphic) may bring added clarity of what really are the key issues to address.

Understand the rationale

To understand the rationale for addressing core topics, consider the:

• Baseline – to identify the pre-COVID-19 state of the situation that you are considering changing
• Effect – the immediate consequence of COVID-19 on the baseline
• Impact – the wider/secondary impact of COVID-19 on the baseline/effect

Develop recovery actions

RCG should now be ready to develop recovery actions for significant consequences. Actions may be:

• Transactional – a single, straightforward, short-term action by an organisation
• Transformational – a longer-term portfolio of action by a strategic partnership of organisations to deliver a complex web of interconnected, democratically significant, renewal activity

Actions can be at three levels of comprehensiveness depending on scale and timing:

• Immediate Recovery Action – an organisation delivering a transactional action to address an effect
• Wider Recovery Action – a partnership delivering a series of transactional actions to address an effect
• Strategic Renewal Action – a partnership delivering transformational actions to address a strategic impact or opportunity

Understanding the baseline, can identify effects and impacts. These can be addressed with immediate, wider or strategic actions depending on the desired scale, motivation, and funding available, as in the graphic.

Deliver recovery actions

RCG must decide the priority for each action by evaluating its likelihood, effort, motivation, capability, capacity, duration, and resources needed, and its impact on reputation from (not) pursuing it.

For more details contact: duncan.shaw-2@manchester.ac.uk & david.powell@manchester.ac.uk

References:

[1] https://www.gov.uk/guidance/national-recovery-guidance

[2] Video on ‘Planning Recovery and Renewal’ www.ambs.ac.uk/covidrecovery

By implementing guidance for safe working practices, organisations can protect workers and others from risks related to COVID-19. This framework offers a systematic approach to enable effective and timely adaptation to the changing situation. Organisations can consider safety practices relating to:

• Working from home e.g. suitability of work space, living with the clinically vulnerable
• Managing suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19 e.g. promote a culture of transparency and support to reporting and managing suspected and confirmed cases
• Multiple or mobile workplaces e.g. the number and types of workplaces such as offices, factories, warehouses, vehicles, workers' own/other people's homes
• Resource availability e.g. adequate provision of toilet and handwashing facilities
• Reporting to external parties e.g. consultation and participation of workers, worker representatives and trade unions in decisions that affect health, safety and well-being
• Inclusivity and accessibility e.g. ensure issues and anxieties are respected; adapt roles and activities to reduce risks to vulnerable workers
• Psychological health and well-being e.g. take account of unsupervised working hours, isolation, lack of clarity on roles/responsibilities/deadlines
• Use available COVID-19 communication templates, printable signage and reopening toolkits

In Pakistan, a National Immunization Support Project (NISP) supported by the World Bank has developed wider strategic collaborations to transform immunization by increasing vaccination coverage and strengthening existing systems and mechanisms. At the heart of NISP is a pooled procurement mechanism and governance structures which successfully sourced vaccines for Provinces and provided an uninterrupted supply for the past 4 years in an efficient and collaborative manner. When COVID-19 hit, NISP: (1) had a series of trusted partners, so repurposed its trusted procurement mechanism e.g. to procure PPE for health care workers; and, (2) was a trusted partner itself, so provided its own expertise to other partners beyond its usual remit e.g. to provide financial management governance to oversee funds. Inspired by (1), consider how your organisation can repurpose trusted partnerships and identify:

• Major issues that are troublesome due to limited effective partnerships available to support
• Where trusted strategic partnerships are already established and proven to be working well
• How strategic partners can expand their collaboration to address the troublesome issues
• The blockers, how to overcome them, and to expand the partnership to support response

Inspired by (2), consider how your organisation is the trusted partner that can help others and identify:

• What general expertise your organisation has and is able to provide in support to partners
• How your organisation can repurpose key skills and capabilities to go beyond its usual remit to offer support as a trusted partner
• How your organisation can provide its normal services whilst providing support to response
• The blockers, and how to overcome them, to provide your capabilities to others' response

A number of countries and regions rely on a tourism industry to support cultural heritage and the arts. The closure of borders and internal movements within a country has disrupted tourist businesses such as accommodation facilities, travel agencies, tourist guides, service industries, and the arts. Consider how to:

• Encourage the enjoyment of cultural heritage in a way that is compatible with restrictions
• Create a dedicated website that lists all available arts and culture in the country or region such as Italy's "Culture does not stop" site
• Curate online exhibitions by gathering contributions from art historians, archaeologists, archivists, librarians, restorers, architects, authors, writers, actors, musicians, etc.
• Employ online guides or experts to provide 'tours' of cultural sites, museums, etc.
• Ensure content is regularly updated in the same way physical cultural experiences are

The resilience of construction and infrastructure is highly dependent on reliable, flexible and sustainable supply chains. Learning from the impacts of COVID-19 has identified three key phases for building supply chain resilience. Consider how to:

Secure the supply chain - immediate steps

• Rapidly assess levels of inventory and resource capacity against immediate/emerging demand
• Analyse a range of tactical scenarios and secure essential resources needed to maintain operations
• Evaluate existing relevant contract clauses such as those covering insurances and payment

Recover the supply chain - steps to be taken next

• Refresh business continuity management plans e.g. tested home working, wellbeing protocols, emergency command/control structures

Prepare the supply chain for a post COVID-19 world

• Embed resilience e.g. Has risk increased? Is the supply chain intact?
• Build resilience through
  • keeping redundancy (e.g. increasing stocks, spare capacity, supply competition);
  • creating resistance (e.g. automation);
  • improving recovery (e.g. rapid response protocols)
• Map strategic supply chains to identify possible points of failure in future shocks e.g. an emergency or second wave
• Implement 'smart' forecasting, analytics, and cloud-based systems that provide advanced prediction and indicate disruption

A collaboration between primary, secondary and special schools in the UK has developed some examples from practice on how to maintain social distancing. These are not exhaustive and may be adapted and implemented alongside other protective measures in schools. Actions to consider:

For primary and secondary schools

• Stagger lunch and break times of students and, where possible, start and finish times
• Mark the playground in a way that allows for separate 'bubbles' of children to play and for staff to walk round the space safely
• Adjust seating plans to recognize that some children may have had low levels of engagement with others during lockdown and may need to sit nearer the teacher for further support
• Ensure specialist or support staff who may be at risk from COVID-19 can continue providing support e.g. install protective screens and allocate a specific classroom for that staff member
• Negotiate with transport companies to bring children to school in their specific COVID-19 groups (bubbles). This may be especially relevant for children from special schools who have additional health and safety needs

For special schools

• Ensure specialist staff and therapists have the resources to write their reports from home to limit staff meetings
• Find ways to integrate various therapies to limit the use of specialist rooms and facilities

We discuss enforced lockdowns and restrictions on movements, combined with challenges posed by public demonstrations and protests which resulted in police needing to navigate complex and dynamic relationships with the communities they serve. This briefing provides reflections from the USA and Australia on policing to enforce local lockdowns, and manage civil unrest during COVID-19.

To read this briefing in full, follow the source link below to TBM Issue 15 (p.2-8).

In Pune, an 'Action Plan for Hotspot Areas' was developed in which the local police force supported implementation of contact tracing and wide-spread testing, water and sanitation support, food and shelter planning and public awareness. Teams carried out local door-to-door check-ups of all households in the hotspot areas. Consider how to take public health interventions and information into the community:

• Establish dedicated COVID care booths in hotspot areas
• Allot dedicated ambulances in case serious cases are detected
• Designate, specific localised teams within the hotspot area, including police, medical staff and community engagement officers to conduct thorough, localised door-to-door check-ups of all households in the hotspot areas (including virus testing)
• Use teams to distribute medication to those who need it, and to provide discharge public health packages. These may include:
  • A packet of masks
  • Sanitizer
  • Soap
  • Cleaning products
• Ensure comprehensive medical, nutritional, and psycho-social care for those identified as COVID-19 positive
• To maximise identification of cases, adopt standardized systems for testing

Reference: representative of the Australian Department of Justice and Community Safety

Heat waves pose a particular risk to those already vulnerable to COVID-19 including the elderly (>65 years), and those with pre-existing health conditions (e.g. cardiovascular, pulmonary, kidney disease), and essential workers. COVID-19 and heat can put strains on health, and on surge capacity plans for hospitals to deal with concurrent risks. Additionally, people may expose themselves to other risks such as limiting social distancing measures to check in on older neighbours. Consider how to:

• Collaborate with formal and informal social service systems to identify and reach vulnerable individuals with information and support to protect them
• Increase the use of telephone outreach programmes for daily check-ins with the most vulnerable
• Increase enrolment of vulnerable people into check-ins and resources to run the system
• Review plans for in-home safety checks. Ensure the health and safety of staff, volunteers and the people they visit through training and the provision of PPE
• Identify high-risk communities by reviewing where local heat islands occur, and where this may overlap with high incidence or risk of COVID-19
• Assist efforts to review and expand social safety net programmes to support at-home cooling strategies for the most vulnerable e.g. utilise expanding energy subsidies to ensure households can afford home cooling measures

Further information on how to carry out public outreach on heatwaves during the COVID-19 pandemic can be found here: http://climatecentre.org/downloads/files/HWG%20appendix%20Extreme%20Heat%20during%20the%20COVID-19%20pandemic.pdf

This lesson was contributed to by a Chief Resilience Officer in Colombia during project data collection.

Including gender-inclusive perspectives can address gender inequalities in health outcomes, the economy and wider society. For example, in the EU, women make up: 93% of child care workers; 86% of personal care workers in health services; and 95% of domestic cleaners (https://eige.europa.eu/covid-19-and-gender-equality/frontline-workers). This exposes women to the virus, heighten the potential of poverty and mental health issues as these jobs are undervalued, precarious, and underpaid. Women also bear an unequal burden in unpaid household labour which can undermine access to paid employment. There is a need to assess the implications of COVID-19 policies to ensure gendered experiences are recognised and addressed. Consider:

• The level of exposure of genders to COVID-19 due to gender segregation in the labour market
• The increased risks to occupational health and well-being of women in caring professions
• Increased consultation with, and inclusion of, women in decision-making during crises
• Working with community/religious leaders to promote caregiving/caretaking as everyone's responsibility
• How gender-balanced teams can provide treatment or support for mental health and well-being
• Innovating to mitigate other social issues such as gender based violence
• Offering guidance on domestic violence into existing services e.g. give volunteers, who provide other services, information on victim support
• Educating organisations about the heighten risk of gender based violence since COVID-19 so that they can be part of safeguarding women and girls

In Pune, 7,500 Special Police Officers (SPO) were given specific powers to help manage areas which had seen a rise in COVID-19 infections. They provided an important role in managing the spread of the virus, in partnership with the community and public health officials. Consider how to:

• Implement a standard operating procedures which include the police in public health interventions for COVID-19
• Use efficient reporting structures, and easy-to-use methods of communication (such as WhatsApp) to manage situations in real time
• Utilise the police to help provide essential response services (e.g. to those who are shielding), and in spreading awareness of social distancing and lockdown norms (e.g. by being out in public or by going door-to-door)
• Utilise the increased widespread interactions of the police with the community for voluntary operations supporting COVID-19 interventions

As countries begin to open their border to international travel, there is much to consider, not least the information provided to travellers before they leave your country, as they travel, and as they enter your country.

Information provided to travellers before they leave their country is key, so travellers can prepare themselves to travel to an overseas destination with the right supplies and knowing the expected behaviours. This is especially important during COVID-19 where countries have differing regulations regarding social distancing, travel within the country, and fines. Consider providing a government-issued ‘safer travel information sheet’[1] and advising travellers to download it before they leave the country. The information sheet could cover:

• Travel advisory for the country they are to visit
• Behaviours and supplies needed for COVID safe travel and at the destination e.g. face masks
• How to travel safely on all legs of the trip (from home to final destination) e.g. not arriving too early at departure points, ticketing, parking
• Expectations for safe travel practices such as social distancing, required face coverings and when/how to wear masks
• Tips for travelling using all types of transport e.g. cars, aircraft, ferries
• Exemptions for people e.g. who does not need to wear a face covering
• Where to find more information, key contacts and their contact information

The travel industry has a central role in advising travellers of travel-related and destination-specific COVID-19 information. The travel industry can provide advice to:[2], [3]

• Prepare travellers for practical departure and arrival procedures e.g. temperature sensors, health declaration forms
• Practice COVID-19 behaviours whilst travelling e.g. mask wearing, personal interactions, expectations on children and infirm
• Provide up to date information to travellers on the COVID-19 situation in the arrival country and how to access current information during their stay
• Identify what travellers should do if they suspect they have symptoms during their stay and before they travel home
• Inform travellers of mandatory acts on arrival, such as registering or downloading a mandated track and trace phone app
• Educate travellers on the local expectation for behaving safely in the country and local means of enforcement
• Detail what travellers should do on arrival e.g. quarantine, self-isolation, in the case of a local lockdown
• Where to find more information, key contacts and their contact information
• Penalties for non-compliance with local requirements for COVID-19

When travellers land in a different country, or even return to their home country, they may not have updated information or knowledge about COVID-19 transmission, or the local expectations or regulations put in place to encourage safe behaviours. Instead travellers may have COVID-19 practices that do not align with the expectations of the country they are in, so need information to make adjustments so they can live by the county’s current protocols and legislation.[4] So that travellers arriving into your country are able to act according to local advice, consider how to update travellers on practices they should follow, covering[5], [6], [7]:

• Major local developments on the virus
• The impact of those developments on new behaviours, expectations, curfews, etc.
• Information on the sorts of services that are available, including holiday-related and travel
• Information on regulations, behaviours, practices and expectations e.g. quarantine, self-isolation, track and trace procedures
• Information on residence permits and visas
• Information on onward travel, transiting through the country and returning home
• Where to find more information, key contacts and their contact information

Appropriate channels should be considered to share this information with travellers e.g. travel providers, travel infrastructure providers, hotels.

References:

[1] https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-safer-travel-guidance-for-passengers#safer-travel-information-sheet

[2] https://www.airfrance.co.uk/GB/en/common/page_flottante/information/faq-coronavirus.htm

[3] https://travelupdates.abudhabiairport.ae/home

[5] https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/en/einreiseundaufenthalt/coronavirus

[6] https://www.government.nl/topics/coronavirus-covid-19/tourism-in-the-netherlands

[7] https://www.krisinformation.se/en/hazards-and-risks/disasters-and-incidents/2020/official-information-on-the-new-coronavirus/visiting-sweden-during-the-covid-19-pandemic

To plan for local outbreaks of the pandemic, local government in England were required to develop and publicise their Local Outbreak Plan on how they will manage any sporadic surges of the virus in their local area. To structure these outbreak control plans, UK public health authorities identified seven connected themes to cover: care homes and schools; high risk places and communities; methods for local mobile testing units; contact tracing and infection control in complex settings; integrating local and national data; supporting vulnerable people to self-isolate; establishing governance structures. Other countries (e.g. Ireland and New Zealand) have also required the development of outbreak control plans, especially for outbreaks in care homes.Consider how to:

• Review how other organisations have planned for outbreaks and learn from the contents of those plans
• Develop an outbreak control plan for how to manage a spike in COVID-19 case
• Use others' plans to confirm the contents of your plans and/or expand those contents
• How to exercise those plans and how to share the learning from those exercises with other organisations
• Developing bespoke outbreak control plans for specific sectors e.g. care homes

The UN reports that measures to curb the spread of COVID-19 are exposing victims of human trafficking to further exploitation and limiting their access to essential services. The restrictions on movements, diversion in law enforcement, and reduced public health and social services is impacting victims of human trafficking before, during and after their ordeal. Children are also at increased risk of exploitation as a result of being forced onto the streets to find food or work; and women are at risk of sexual exploitation. Consider how to:

• Protect those still at risk from abuse from captors through maintaining dedicated law enforcement departments and social workers for victims of human trafficking. Including the need for adequate PPE for these departments
• Provide safe housing for victims who have been rescued from captivity but are unable to return home due to travel restrictions
• Support those experiencing delays in legal proceedings, including regular updates on the status of their case
• Provide hotlines to emotional, financial, legal and safe housing advice
• Encourage communication between schools, law enforcement and social workers to identify, and check-up on, children at risk of exploitation
• Increase attention to tackling online child sexual exploitation. Travel restrictions have spawned an easy way to groom children, gain access to (or create) child sexual abuse material and establish "delivery" services
• Conduct evaluations into the impact of COVID-19 on resources for victims, law enforcement and justice systems to better understand needs of victims and gaps in provision

Every organisation has been affected by COVID-19 which has had impacts on operations, staff, suppliers, customers or other parts of its activities. Some organisations have temporarily stopped delivering certain activities or have achieved them through other means. This has led organisations to consider the value-added of those activities and evaluate certain activities that may no longer be necessary. To identify activities that can be stopped, consider:

• What activities were changed in response to the effects of COVID-19
• What has been learned about the actual value those activities were delivering, compared to the expected value
• How to stop or replace activities that were not delivering the expected value

In addition, consider:

• How to identify other activities that were not stopped during COVID-19 but that are not delivering the expected value so could be stopped
• How to measure the saving from stopping the activity
• What to do with the saved resource from stopping the activity e.g. reduce capacity or redeploy that capacity
• How other aspects of the organisation should change to support the stopping of activities (e.g. changing physical spaces, policies, processes, priorities, roles)

To accommodate social distancing rules, businesses such as bars and restaurants are able to use additional outside space. In Manchester city (UK), quick applications for temporary tables and chairs licences have been developed by the local council for those expressing interest in expanding their operations. Business owners are required to upload a scale plan of the proposed licensed area with the application. East Devon District Council (UK) provide the following COVID-19 checklist for businesses before they begin operations:

• Undertake a licence health check and a risk assessment to comply with COVID-19 regulations e.g. social distancing guidelines; hygiene information; entry/exit routes; pick up/drop off instructions; service and payment instructions
• Ensure the Designated Premises is named on the licence (the DPS) and still working at the premises, and update any changes to the premises licence or registered address
• Ensure relevant amendments are made to the current licence e.g. opening hours, operational conditions, or layout/plan. New areas may not be licensed e.g. the bar area may have changed
• Follow-up planning consent for building works and ensure compliance. Bars, marquees, structures or fixed furniture outside for more than 28 days may need planning consent
• Liaise with neighbours and resident associations as noise levels may increase due to outdoor operations so residents may be affected by noise
• Assess if the premises licence is fit for purpose e.g. modifications to trading hours or working conditions

Effective local climate leadership is central in tackling local climate disasters such as floods, forest fires and extreme heatwaves. Local governments are adept at initiating infrastructure investments, policies, and programs that strengthen resilience against future climate stresses and shocks. Consider how to locally navigate climate-action priorities through the COVID-19 crisis to:

• Boost climate-action momentum to mitigate risks and costs of delayed action e.g. combined impacts of COVID-19 and climate change on vulnerable people, economic disruption, public health (clean air, sufficient safe food and water)
• Prepare for impacts of climate change and COVID-19. Address threat multipliers such as pollution or natural disasters through local reduction of carbon emissions, retrofitting buildings, defences, and ring-fenced funding
• Build on residents' and businesses' behaviour changes during the pandemic that reduce emissions and enhance resiliency e.g. working from home, careful used of medical resources
• Maximize local benefits of an economic recovery that is climate friendly e.g. focus on the circular economy, use of renewable energies

The avoidable death framework (ADF) considers avoidable deaths from disasters, including pandemics which are amenable (treatable), preventable, or both. Amenable deaths require timely and effective healthcare. Preventable deaths can be avoided through public health interventions such as epidemiology and surveillance, outreach, screening and health teaching.

Amenable death research can analyse:

• Waiting times and the impacts of delays on those who receive and those who give care e.g. the time interval between onset of symptoms and seeking medical interventions; the time interval between the arrival of the patient and commencing treatment
• Effectiveness of the health system including outcomes that are affected by the way the system works e.g. the application of COVID-19 treatment protocol. More amenable (treatable) deaths in a given region would indicate a less effective system

Preventable death research can analyse:

• Effectiveness of health interventions e.g. hand hygiene, respiratory etiquette, social distancing, crowd control and lockdown
• Indirect deaths e.g. hunger, suicide

Consider how amenable and preventable deaths could be further effectively avoided through disaster risk governance which includes:

• Risk communication
• Coordination, collaboration and cooperation between the government and the general public; between governmental departments; and between the government and civil societies/multilateral organisations

Extreme fatigue, nausea, chest tightness, severe headaches, "brain fog" and limb pains are among the recurring symptoms described by some sufferers of COVID-19 for weeks/months after their diagnosis. NHS England has developed an online portal for people in England to access tutorials, contact healthcare workers and track their progress called "Your COVID Recovery". Consider development of similar services that include:

• Access to a clinical team including nurses and physiotherapists who can respond online or over the phone to any enquiries from patients
• An online peer-support community for survivors - particularly helpful to those who may be recovering alone
• Exercise tutorials that people can do from home to help them regain muscle strength, and lung function in particular
• Mental health support, which may include a psychologist within the service or referral into other mental health services along with information on what to expect post-COVID
• Face-to-face provision for physical rehabilitation where possible, ensuring the safety of staff and patients
• Support from professionals such as dieticians, speech and language therapists, occupational therapists
• Cultural practices and relationships with rehabilitation needs

There is also an ongoing need for data collection about a nation's health to understand the long-term effects of this disease.

Agoraphobia is an anxiety disorder characterized by symptoms of anxiety in situations where the person perceives their environment to be unsafe with no easy way to escape. People may feel ill, nervous, embarrassed or fearful in public places. With self-isolation and social distancing being a core component of 'living with COVID-19', people may feel trapped or particularly concerned about contamination and infection. Consider the provisions required to support people including:

• Helplines for those wanting to talk over the phone and support lines via live chat, text or email for those who don't wish to call or are unable to
• Webinars for the general public such as: how to be kind & compassionate to yourself', and 'dealing with COVID-19 negative thoughts when you already have anxiety'
• Access to approved therapists able to offer 1:1 support through therapies such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and counselling

Signposting to supportive apps such as Headspace (www.headspace.com) or Calm (www.calm.com)

As countries begin to open their border to international travel, there is much to consider, not least the information provided to travellers before they leave your country, as they travel, and as they enter your country.

Information provided to travellers before they leave their country is key, so travellers can prepare themselves to travel to an overseas destination with the right supplies and knowing the expected behaviours. This is especially important during COVID-19 where countries have differing regulations regarding social distancing, travel within the country, and fines. Consider providing a government-issued 'safer travel information sheet' and advising travellers to download it before they leave the country. The information sheet could cover:

• Travel advisory for the country they are to visit
• Behaviours and supplies needed for COVID safe travel and at the destination e.g. face masks
• How to travel safely on all legs of the trip (from home to final destination) e.g. not arriving too early at departure points, ticketing, parking
• Expectations for safe travel practices such as social distancing, required face coverings and when/how to wear masks
• Tips for travelling using all types of transport e.g. cars, aircraft, ferries
• Exemptions for people e.g. who does not need to wear a face covering
• Where to find more information, key contacts and their contact information

The travel industry has a central role in advising travellers of travel-related and destination-specific COVID-19 information. The travel industry can provide advice to:

• Prepare travellers for practical departure and arrival procedures e.g. temperature sensors, health declaration forms
• Practice COVID-19 behaviours whilst travelling e.g. mask wearing, personal interactions, expectations on children and infirm
• Provide up to date information to travellers on the COVID-19 situation in the arrival country and how to access current information during their stay
• Identify what travellers should do if they suspect they have symptoms during their stay and before they travel home
• Inform travellers of mandatory acts on arrival, such as registering or downloading a mandated track and trace phone app
• Educate travellers on the local expectation for behaving safely in the country and local means of enforcement
• Detail what travellers should do on arrival e.g. quarantine, self-isolation, in the case of a local lockdown
• Where to find more information, key contacts and their contact information
• Penalties for non-compliance with local requirements for COVID-19

When travellers land in a different country, or even return to their home country, they may not have updated information or knowledge about COVID-19 transmission, or the local expectations or regulations put in place to encourage safe behaviours. Instead travellers may have COVID-19 practices that do not align with the expectations of the country they are in, so need information to make adjustments so they can live by the county's current protocols and legislation. So that travellers arriving into your country are able to act according to local advice, consider how to update travellers on practices they should follow, covering:

• Major local developments on the virus
• The impact of those developments on new behaviours, expectations, curfews, etc.
• Information on the sorts of services that are available, including holiday-related and travel
• Information on regulations, behaviours, practices and expectations e.g. quarantine, self-isolation, track and trace
• Information on residence permits and visas procedures
• Information on onward travel, transiting through the country and returning home
• Where to find more information, key contacts and their contact information

Appropriate channels should be considered to share this information with travellers e.g. travel providers, travel infrastructure providers, hotels.

To read this case study in its original format (including references), follow the source link below to TMB Issue 14 p.15-16.

The transfer of diseases such as COVID-19, avian influenza and swine flu can occur in agriculture and food production sectors. This can be facilitated by the rapid industrialization of meat production and poor biosecurity. Consider:

• increased monitoring of agricultural production as 'big farms create big flu'
• careful monitoring of wild animal sales; simply banning such practices may only drive markets underground and reduce visibility
• disease mitigation measures on farming practices of vulnerable populations. In the avian influenza outbreak, poultry from 'backyard chicken' producers were slaughtered compulsorily in huge numbers which caused devastating impacts on livelihoods across southeast Asia
• affordable measures for smaller farmers to meet food and agricultural standards, and consideration that if you remove their livelihoods, they will likely become more susceptible to current disease or new zoonotic diseases as a result of wild animal sale or consumption

Data protection does not stop an organisation asking employees whether they are experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms or introducing appropriate testing. Consider the following to ensure data protection compliance:

• Only collect and use information that is necessary to ensure the workplace is safe. Decide if the same result can be achieved without collecting personal information
• Only keep information temporarily or justify if a permanent record of information is needed
• Be clear, open and honest with staff about their personal information, how and why you need it, who you will share their information with, and for how long
• Treat people fairly and think carefully about any detriment or discrimination staff might suffer if the information is retained and shared
• Keep people's information secure and consider when personal information needs to be anonymised
• Enable staff to exercise their information rights, and discuss any concerns

Conduct a data protection impact assessment.

Existing resilience strategies should be amended in real-time to include long and short-term actions to combat the effects of COVID-19. This should include consideration of pre-existing vulnerabilities such as local socio-economic conditions, and environmental risk such as heatwaves and floods. Consider evaluating all indicators of all resilience programmes to weave COVID-19 impacts and indicators into sustainable resilience planning. This helps accommodate COVID-19 into existing long-term city plans, rather than trying to build resilience purely around COVID concerns

This lesson was contributed to by Chief Resilience Officers in the USA and Colombia, during project data collection.

The 'Edinburgh Lockdown Economy' is a listings directory for businesses in the city that has launched an interactive online experience to support firms suffering from lost revenue. The online directory provides an opportunity to resume trading for businesses that are struggling to run their usual services. Consider facilitating similar local platforms that allow:

• Small businesses to host virtual tours or experiences of their products and venues
• Customers to join live sessions such as wine tasting or massage workshops
• Products related to each experience or workshop to be delivered to customers in time for them to take part in the event
• Electronic payments to support less digitally enabled businesses

This guest briefing (written by Michael Palin, GC Consulting UK) outlines the potential economic risk to local areas before describing in broad terms how local areas might respond in terms of their economic recovery plans. A final section highlights a number of issues that have already been identified in some local areas as key economic recovery issues in their place.

Follow the source link below to read this briefing in full (p.2-10).

Clean energy can reduce negative health effects associated with using polluting fuels and the chances of respiratory diseases which negatively impact COVID-19 chances of survival. Consider:

• how to improve access to electricity through renewable energy
• providing electricity for water pumps for more reliable access to clean water in contexts where this is challenging
• incentivising renewable energy adoption at household level to help reduce the economic burden of utility bills which can have impacts on mental and physical wellbeing