Recovery, Renewal, Resilience

The Circular Economy calls for all materials in manufacturing to be reused, recycled or biodegradable. COVID-19 has raised new questions about plastics use and sustainability of, for example, using single-use surgical gowns, masks and gloves. Consider:

• investing in new protective materials that are reusable or biodegradable and that replace harmful plastics
• the environmental friendliness of cleaning products that will end up in waterways and oceans
• the potential health implications of contamination

This lesson was contributed to by a Chief Resilience Officer in Denmark, and the source below.

We have produced a video on how local authorities can begin processes for recovery and renewal: https://bit.ly/2BORO2e. It outlines how resilience partnerships can develop recovery strategies and ambitious plans for renewal of their areas. It covers how to:

• establish the basics of Recovery
• set up a Recovery Coordinating Group
• assess impacts from COVID-19
• implement recovery strategies

Recently, European Union countries have begun enforced lockdowns in smaller regions in response to new outbreaks of COVID-19, rather than bringing the entire country to a halt. 'Smart lockdowns' have been undertaken in Germany, Portugal, Italy, and the UK where local governments have declared local lockdown where cases of COVID-19 could not be contained.

Special consideration should be given to the identified causes of spikes in transmission. Localised COVID-19 outbreaks in Europe and the USA share a number of similarities. In most cases, overcrowded living conditions, poor working conditions, cultural practices, and/or limited socio-economic capital point to increased risk of infection and transmission. In Warendorf (Germany) and Cleckheaton (England), outbreaks were attributed to abattoirs and meat factories , which often employ migrant workers in poor working conditions on low-paid contracts. While the outbreak in Cleckheaton does not seem to have spread into the community, the fallout from the abattoir in Germany resulted in the lockdown of the city of Warendorf. Similar patterns are being witnessed in the USA, where workers from meat processing plants in Georgia, Arkansas and Mississippi, who are predominantly migrant workers or people of colour, have died from the virus or have become infected.

Conversely, in Marche (Italy) and Lisbon (Portugal) outbreaks originated in migrant communities that were living in overcrowded quarters or experiencing unsafe working conditions. Similarly, this week in Leicester (England), a local lockdown has been enforced. Possible reasons for the spike in cases shares stark similarities to the local lockdowns that have gone on elsewhere.

Reportedly, in Leicester some garment factories continued to operate throughout the crisis and forced their workers to work despite high levels of infection. Wage exploitation of the largely immigrant workforce, failure to protect workers' rights in Leicester's garment factories (a subject of concern for years), and poor communication of lockdown rules with Leicester's large ethnic minority community have all contributed to a resurgence in the disease.

Secondly, the East of the city, suspected to be the epicenter of the outbreak, has extreme levels of poverty, is densely packed with terraced housing, and has a high proportion of ethnic minority families where multi-generational living is common.

These patterns barely differ from the spike in cases in Singapore in May 2020 in which Singapore's progress on tackling COVID-19 was halted as tens of thousands of migrant workers contracted the disease due to poor living conditions and being neglected by testing schemes as their migrant status and relative poverty meant they were overlooked by the government.

Implementing smart lockdowns requires:

• Outbreak control plans for the COVID-19 partnership to be developed, written, and communicated to wider partners, specifying their role in the outbreak response
• Collaborate closely across the public sector to understand possible at-risk communities e.g. minority groups, migrant workers, those in poor or insecure housing, those in particular occupations
• Identify new cases early through rapid testing and contact tracing and sharing timely data across agencies
• Decide the threshold at which a cluster of new cases become an outbreak
• Decide the threshold at which an outbreak triggers the lockdown of an area, and how the size of that area is determined
• Collaborate closely with the public sector to communicate and enforce local lockdowns e.g. the police, the health and social sector, local leaders
• Ensure there is capacity in local-health care systems to respond to the outbreak
• Collaborate with citizens to ensure good behavioural practices are understood and adhered to e.g. hand washing, social distancing at work and in public areas
• Ensure the parameters of the local lockdown are clear. For example, in a UK "local authority boundaries can run down the middle of a street" which makes it different to differentiate what is appropriate for a city or region, and to understand how a local community identifies with the place and boundaries in which they live

Local outbreaks, whether in migrant worker accommodation, meat factories or impoverished areas of a city, clearly underscore the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on minority, migrant, and poor communities. Increased engagement with, and attention to ethnic minority groups, marginalised people and impoverished communities is key to staving off local and national resurgences of COVID-19. Strong multi-organisational partnerships are required to account for varying needs and concerns with certain communities including addressing their living and working conditions and the risks this poses to public health.

To read this case study in its original format (including source links and references, follow the source link below.

Volunteer staff and students at Imperial College London are providing free weekly drop-in sessions offering tech support and advice for elderly residents in the local areas. Volunteers are:

• Teaching people how to send a text and send picture messages, creating videos, and fixing printers
• Helping isolated older residents by matching them with a phone buddy for tech and befriending support
• Providing some in-person sessions
• Managing referrals to the 'What the Tech' programme by local organisations
• Liaising with the local community team to help signpost vulnerable residents to local support services such as food shopping and medicine collection
• Using connections through the service to check in fortnightly on people's wellbeing

In one city in Colombia, the local authorities decided on a campaign based on the idea of looking out for one another, and the slogan "Let's get our hands back into work, while looking out for each other". Involving local residents included:

• taking photographs of residents' hands working on relatable activities e.g. local bakers baking bread, or greengrocers laying out fruit and vegetables in the local store. The campaign also included photographs of residents' eyes
• preparing posters for city-wide use of the images and slogan

The campaign successfully involved people from the community literally looking out at, and for, one another, and improved engagement with the message.

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

The main housing insecure groups include:

1. Asylum seekers (with and without access to statutory support)
2. Private renters
3. Prisoners who have been released

To support these groups consider:

• Mapping housing supply and working in partnership with private businesses, landlords and public services to develop ethical lettings agencies
• Leasing properties off private landlords for a substantial period and letting through ethical lettings agencies
• Ask contractors for commitments to build affordable housing rather than contribute cash donations
• Removing caps on housing benefits
• Ensuring housing allowances for renters meets the rent profile of the area they are renting in
• Mapping facilities e.g. recreation centres that can be turned into emergency shelters for homeless people
• Mapping risks of shared accommodation and capacity during heat waves/winter and risk of infection
• Providing prepaid cards for use for essential shopping e.g. food, medication

References: Chief Resilience Officer, USA and a representative of a UK Local Authority

Much of the focus on the environment has been on the burden societies put upon natural resources. However, a people-centered perspective can be more appropriate in some contexts with extreme weather conditions or water shortages. For example, consider:

• that greening energy can raise energy bills which puts cost burdens on people in lockdown. In one US city, energy bills can reach up to 50% of people's income. This puts personal finances at risk which can create other behaviours that adversely impact the environment e.g. eating cheaper foods from less sustainable/environmentally friendly sources
• that telling people the cost of energy to them can encourage them to use less. This can also improve their receptiveness to adopting energy-saving practices

This lesson was contributed by a Chief Resilience Officer in the USA during project data collection.

The shock to global supply and demand resulting from COVID-19 has exacerbated workers' vulnerability to modern slavery. Consider supply chain management approaches that reduce the risks of worker exploitation by increasing firms' resilience to cope with highly volatile and extreme events, such as COVID 19. Consider:

• ensuring there is capacity to audit suppliers and their workforces to detect and remediate instances of labour exploitation
• how to maintain transparency in the supply chain so that risky supplier behaviour, such as unauthorised subcontracting, can be traced
• circumventing organisations with known malpractices in order to meet demand e.g. in the US, an import ban has been lifted to receive supply from a large Malaysian manufacturer of medical gloves accused of using forced labour
• liaising with support mechanisms for those at risk of modern slavery, such as faith and community organisations and helplines to monitor wellbeing
• collaborate with unions, NGOs, and other expert stakeholders to increase supply chain transparency and allow for a proactive detection on deteriorating working conditions

The city of El Paso has mapped local economic opportunities in their area to develop economic strategies that rely less on precarious work such as those in the service industries. The city has five good Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) based Universities, and aim to leverage opportunities and relationships to develop a local economic sector based on life science and technology industries. El Paso is developing programmes to upskill the local workforce (many of whom are financially unstable and in service industries) towards STEM. The strategy recognizes the profile of the current workforce and is aiming to develop training programmes in jobs such as laser welding, which is technical but does not require high levels of education. This supports long-term economic development and is linked to community welfare and financial stability.

This lesson was contributed by El Paso City Officials in the USA during project data collection.

View all issues of The Manchester Briefing: https://www.alliancembs.manchester.ac.uk/research/recovery-renewal-resilience-from-covid-19/briefings/

Lessons should be learned to assess the response and identify improvements. Some debriefs only collect 'obvious' comments as they give limited time to participants to co-create more sophisticated learning and critically appraise each other's comments. Some processes drown out informed people, and anonymity can encourage the sharing of extreme views that people would not normally offer or defend. On analysis, participants are not a homogenous group, but analysis may treat them as if they were, and results are generalised to 'how participants felt' which is inappropriate. To partly overcome some of these limitations, the process of debriefing may include five activities:

1. Surveys designed and interpreted with the above potential limitations in mind
2. Individual discussions with knowledgeable people to collect informed views, reasoning, and explore wider contexts
3. Analyse survey and individual views by respondent-type to identify themes for further analysis
4. Facilitated group discussions with knowledgeable people who build on each other's view to generate new understanding, and agree a final 'lessons learned' that accommodates competing perspectives
5. Facilitated action planning with knowledgeable people to agree an action plan to address the lessons

In Colombia, local government has established an economic revival committee comprised of the Chamber of Commerce, labour unions and local stakeholders create as many jobs as possible that provide a basic wage. The idea is that in the current climate, more jobs that provide a basic wage, are more important than fewer jobs that provide high wages. Job creation will be encouraged through public and private entities in areas such as security and sanitation. More jobs providing a basic wage will maintain people's dignity and reduce poverty.

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

Isolation and loneliness is a big issue in rural communities which has been heightened by lockdown. Consider projects such as ConnecTED Together that offer:

• A phone befriending service
• Signposting to other agencies
• Fortnightly packs that are emailed featuring news, reviews, quizzes, short stories, and recipes
• A dedicated YouTube channel with video features on themes such as exercise, healthy eating and working with technology
• 'How to' guides e.g. use of digital devices

Campaigns that include the KnitTED Together campaign where people can share pictures of creative knitting and experiences via social media

Poor sanitation, cramped living conditions, and insufficient health facilities put those living in informal settlements at high risk from COVID-19. Outbreaks of Ebola and Cholera have shown that public health policies are most effective when governments work closely with informal communities. Consider:

• Ensuring government efforts tackling COVID-19 are interwoven with local community coordinating committees, volunteer networks, and reporting systems
• Utilising community knowledge, information and networks to understand information about the area, and its population. Tapping into this data is important to effectively target the most vulnerable and understand needs
• Working with communities to develop public heath campaigns and to stop the spread of misinformation. Targeted radio campaigns are more effective than TV public health campaigns, as few can afford televisions and electricity is sporadic
• Working with well-informed and respected community leaders as they are often best placed to spread accurate messages and materials about COVID-19 and how to avoid it
• Developing community-driven track and trace systems to help reduce transmission
• Prioritising serious investment into local clinics, hospitals and infrastructure including sanitation and water supply
• Advocating the rights of Africa's urban poor that has left them more exposed to disease outbreaks

The WHO developed a risk communication and community engagement readiness checklist. It outlines six areas for consideration:

1. Risk communication systems e.g. Strengthen the surge capacity of communicators and community engagement expert
2. Internal partner coordination e.g. Assess the communication capacity of partners: identify typical audiences and communication channels
3. Public communication e.g. Review the roster of spokespeople at all levels; list their areas of expertise in COVID-19
4. Community engagement e.g. Establish methods for understanding the concerns, attitudes and beliefs of the community
5. Addressing uncertainty, perceptions and managing misinformation e.g. Establish dialogue in activities to systematically collect and provide answers to questions from the public
6. Capacity building e.g. Consider what training will be needed

Addressing the equality of food systems can help support their resilience. Consider:

• Improving the local economy and the food system simultaneously by growing locally, and employing the local population
• Urban farms for local food production e.g. utilising school gardens
• Engaging neighbourhood leaders to improve understanding of who needs assistance
• Improving sustainability e.g. drive through markets to keep markets open during lockdowns and avoid waste from spoilage, as well as giving smaller sellers security in selling produce
• Enabling community food parcels to be ordered in a similar way to ordering food deliveries
• Improving the food sector workers' protection to help prevent COVID-19 infection
• Keeping school cafeterias open for collection of meals for vulnerable children

Closure of markets has meant many in the agricultural industries have required support in distributing their products. In Lyon, local government took the following actions:

• Identified producers in difficulty and their needs via the Chamber of Agriculture
• Coordinated digital platforms' connections with producers and consumers
• Mapped additional warehousing facilities to support storage of produce and preparation for market
• Provided specific open-air collection points to collect orders
• Researched other rapid distribution channels e.g. through the Red Cross
• Created additional sales outlets when markets were not viable

Water Management can make safer and more sustainable communities, and due to COVID-19, communities already effected by water inequality could become even further disadvantaged. Points to consider when exploring water management during COVID-19:

• Improving access points to water in a way that avoids queues/crowds forming at water points
• Identifying how to avoid water points becoming breading hotspots for Covid-19
• How movement restrictions would impact on individuals' ability to attend a water point to access clean water, and how to overcome these impacts
• Improving water cleanliness to avoid secondary diseases and potential malnutrition from, for example, diarrhoea
• Improving the management of water supply, including strict water governance. For example:
  • Consider disruption of food supply from a lack of workforce
  • Prepare for potential dry season cropping by managing water reserves
  • Anticipate (so to mitigate) the effect of disasters (such as drought and famine)
  • Consider how to manage migration to aid camps where social distancing is more difficult
• Improving water recycling to reduce the release of untreated wastewater into the environment
• Education and facilitation to make communities more resilient to changes in the environment and future events such as Covid-19

This briefing details how to consider people who have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19; how they can be identified; and how they could be involved and supported in recovery and renewal. We offer a methodology for identifying those impacts (the process), developed from the steps taken by Greater Manchester to identify the people in their area impacted by the pandemic.

Follow the source link below to read this briefing in full (p.2-7).

The evacuation and shelter of people during a major emergency is a challenging task under normal conditions but, in the context of COVID-19, social restrictions, and potential to transmit the virus, it becomes even more complex. When planning for evacuation and shelter during COVID-19, consider:

• Provide more transport to comply with social distancing measures
• Rapidly expand shelter capacity, through building or identifying a greater number of current buildings for use as shelters, so as provide greater areas for social distancing
• Consider adapting industries to help prepare for a safer evacuation of populations away from high risk areas. For example, repurposing the garment industry to manufacture personal protective equipment (PPE) for volunteers use in Bangladesh
• Separate suspected COVID-19 patients in specific separate shelters
• Reducing chances of person to person contact by introducing public announcements/mass communication tools such as community radio and electronic media
• Create operational systems which allow for autonomy so responders can work efficiently without constant contact with HQ's if they happen to be under different lockdown restrictions
• Combine early warning messages with Covid-19 warning messages

Consider:

• Training webinars to develop volunteer managers to develop capacity of 'professionalised' volunteers
• Developing specific training courses that include guidance documents and a set number of hours for course completion
• Developing a virtual library of resources to support other voluntary organisations, consider how these will be managed and vetted
• Build resources that complement existing government guidance

This lesson was contributed by a Volunteer coordinator of State in the USA during project data collecion.

Public Health England have adopted a place-based, whole system approach to improving the health of the poorest. This strategy aims to build healthy, resilient, connected and empowered communities on mental health - and sits alongside wider strategies on "Place-Based Approaches for Reducing Health Inequalities". This involves scaling a range of community-centred approaches, addressing community level determinants. Consider addressing the following principles:

1. Scaling: Rolling out a flexible approach rather than applying a standard model using integrated community-centred approaches e.g. integrated wellness services at the local neighbourhood level. Utilise local resources and expertise
2. Involving: Gather community insights and encourage participation to better understand people's health needs
3. Strengthening: Grow local capacity and knowledge through workforce development to build core skills in the community. Encourage a thriving voluntary, community and social enterprise sector
4. Sustaining: Address social determinants of health, as they directly impact on people's resilience and ability to participate. Develop short, medium and long-term indicators about what matters to communities and share between agencies and communities

COVID-19 has exposed disparities in access to open and green space. Improved access can have positive effects on physical and mental health, communities as a whole and the environment. Consider impacts on:

The individual:

• Provides areas for exercise, and improves mental health
• Park closures and restrictions on movement due to COVID-19 negatively and disproportionately effects those without gardens and those who are less economically well off

The community:

• Increasing the quantity of green spaces reduces traffic which reduces pollution and encourages city safety
• Green space for social housing directly addresses socio-economic disparities regarding
• Can simultaneously address other environmental factors such as flood risk management

Remittances from overseas migrant workers make up more than a fifth of GDP in some economies. This type of finance is usually very resilient to natural disasters, and financial slumps as those sending money home are unlikely to follow the behavior of financial markets. However COVID-19 has meant people cannot send money as they normally would due to social distancing and bank/post office closures. This impacts the capacity to send hard cash which made up 80-85% of transaction pre-pandemic. Consider:

• Promoting the digitisation of cash transfers in local communities to support the sending and receiving of remittances as moving cash has become harder
• Giving "mobile-money" agents the status of being an essential service. These small traders serve many times more people than bank branches but struggled to stay open as governments did not deem their services "essential"

Globally, supply chains face challenges in responding to disruptions as a result of COVID-19. Consider:

• Contingency plans that adequately review project controls, risk management and governance processes to provide early warnings of risk impact e.g. a second wave of COVID-19, and the cost, time or contractual impacts of this
• How changes to demand, use and other consumer behaviours will place extra pressure on revenues
• How restrictions on people's movements impact productivity
• How alternative delivery methods and increased supply chain visibility can mitigate supply delays and expose key vulnerabilities
• How the use of advanced controls and technology can ensure more efficient use of resources and better decision-making
• Strategies for transparent communication with all stakeholders, including employees and every party along the supply chain. This can boost reputations, morale and trust among all stakeholders

We consider here Recovery and Renewal and explore how recovery actions relate to the concept of Renewal, which we have discussed in previous weeks of The Manchester Briefing. We also consider the extent to which recovery actions will extend into renewal, and whether they may fizzle out as fatigue as other priorities, such as Brexit, close in.

To read this briefing in full, follow the source link below to TMB Issue 11 (p.2-7).

In Colombia, the Red Flags movement (vulnerable people hung red flags from their homes to signify a need for assistance e.g. food, finances) led to a rise in ad hoc voluntary contributions. Local government used this opportunity to develop an integrated system of relief. They:

• Created a single point of donation for all resources (human, in kind and financial), combining private and civil society donations to create a substantial, long-term resource
• Used big data including population age, location, data on links to existing social support to capture voluntary work undertaken, needs of individuals, and areas served
• Linked data and the centralised donation system to an economic committee comprised of local government, businesses, voluntary sector and charity sector to jointly decide allocation of finances to support voluntary organisations
• Developed a campaign for local businesses to 'adopt' a university student from one of the five city-owned universities - whereby the sector donated 2-3 semesters of student fees. The aim of the campaign was to support students' access to education to mitigate the long-term economic impacts of a lost generation of university graduates

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

COVID-19 has had widespread consequences on all aspects of health and wellbeing. In particular, it has taken a toll on emotional health and wellbeing as a result of remaining isolated or physically distant from friends, family and normal support structures. Additionally, the effects of COVID-19 on risk factors including socioeconomic inequalities, poverty, debt, unemployment, food insecurity, and physical inactivity have had significant impacts on the emotional health and well-being of many

These impacts can be understood on a continuum, from those experiencing some effects on their emotional health and wellbeing, perhaps for the first time, such as intermittent loneliness; to those suffering from more serious mental health disorders such as anxiety, depression or post-traumatic stress disorder; and those who require medical intervention and psychiatric care. This presents three core challenges for mental health provision:

1. Prevent an associated increase in mental health disorders and a reduction in mental health wellbeing across populations
2. Protect people with a mental disorders from COVID-19, and the associated consequences, such as increased risk of COVID-19 infection and mortality due to increased vulnerability
3. Provide appropriate public mental health interventions including for health professionals and carers

The challenges of understanding how emotional health and wellbeing have been affected is complex as many people may develop negative psychological responses after an event, so, even as the threat of the pandemic lessens, more people may reach out for support. This is a particular concern for frontline medical staff, many of whom have not had time or space to process their experiences and may suffer from mental and physical fatigue.

The challenges faced in providing adequate care and support are not just related to the increasing numbers of people who require mental health services. Mental health services claim historically under-funding , and the expected compounding of the impacts of a global recession on the resources available; further stretching the sector. Across the UK, the voluntary sector has played a key role in service provision and developing innovative and flexible care models. Voluntary sector support ranges from helplines to peer support, and alternatives to inpatient care. They may be large national charities delivering a range of responses in different localities or smaller local social enterprises providing a specific service, such as a crisis cafe.

To meet the expected demand for mental health support, the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector organisations are working with their NHS and local government partners to respond to the pressing needs of the communities they serve and come from. Key priorities have been identified to maintain these services

• Rising service demands - there is a significant rises in helpline usage which has led to concerns about the provision of effective support to every caller; especially those in crisis
• Workforce - consideration of: reductions in personnel due to isolation or secondments to statutory services; gaining key worker status and recognition for voluntary mental health providers, and testing
• Loss of access to care coordinators - a care coordinator plays a key role in helping people to manage and monitor their care, including support with medication, physical health, housing, employment, finances and home care. Support service users who have not been able to contact their care coordinators due to their redeployment to COVID-19 response teams, and/or sickness, self-isolation, etc
• Infection control - PPE and clear guidance on its use is needed for regulated and unregulated services. A considerable number of staff are also working on the frontline with service users, and require protection
• Collaboration with statutory services - VCSE organisations have extensive experience of working alongside statutory bodies in the provision of mental health services. In many areas, partnership working between the VCSE sector, NHS and local government is well-established but, in other areas, it has not always been easy to form effective working relationships
• Advocacy services - appropriate access to advocacy services is important for people with mental health conditions. During COVID-19, some people who have been sectioned need more contact with others. While some people have been provided with mobile phones by hospitals, other people need more support to make contact with others to avoid isolation
• Adapting service delivery - with social distancing policies in place, many services are being moved online or to telephone. Provision for anxiety and crisis support have reported an increase in calls to helplines. Some have reconfigured services but consideration needs to be given to the sustainability of this
• Changes to legislation - emergency legislation (Coronavirus Act 2020) includes temporary changes to the Mental Health Act and local authorities Care Act. Consideration of the effects of this on the availability, accessibility, commissioning and provision of mental health care and support services is needed
• Sustainability of the VCSE sector - concerns about funding streams, cash flow, and long-term sustainability of service providers has been raised. While the Government have provided financial support, the long-term sustainability of the mental health sector at a time when services are needed should be considered

Follow the source link below to read this case study in its orgininal format, including references and source links.

[2] https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpsy/article/PIIS2215-0366(20)30240-6/fulltext

[3] https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/06/08/mental-health-support-necessary-during-covid-19-pandemic

[4] https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpsy/article/PIIS2215-0366(20)30240-6/fulltext

[5] https://scienmag.com/global-study-launched-to-examine-impact-of-covid-19-on-health-and-wellbeing/

[6] https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/07/health-experts-on-the-psychological-cost-of-covid-19

[7] https://www.tuc.org.uk/sites/default/files/Mentalhealthfundingreport2_0.pdf

[8]https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/07/health-experts-on-the-psychological-cost-of-covid-19

[9] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5695387/

[10] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5695387/

Cognitive bias affect how events are remembered and how people behave, so can influence decision-making that can impact recovery. For example, not showing symptoms of COVID-19 may lead people to think that they are immune or won't infect others. Other cognitive bias is related to people's selectivity about what they pay attention to and so what they do in response to public health advice. Cognitive bias may be mitigated by:

• Communicating testimonials and stories to challenge thinking about practices that are safe and unsafe
• Sharing transparent and consistent information across all platforms to reduce misinformation and distrust
• Providing easy to find information through mechanisms such as Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) to reduce ambiguity

Providing information that supports collective action so people feel they are part of solving the problem

This lesson was contributed by a Risk Manager in Australia during project data collection.

Consider using the Emergency Planning College Business Continuity (BC) checklist to understand how well BC is incorporated into core areas such as risk management (see BS65000 for further examples). The checklist provides signposting to relevant guidance. Example guidance includes:

Roles, responsibilities and competencies

• Identify BC roles and command and control structures e.g. strategic leads; BC advisor/coordinator; incident management etc
• Promote effective leadership (e.g. ISO22301; ISO22330)
• Document information including plans, procedures, roles and competencies, and the recording of decisions, actions and rationale (e.g. ISO22301: Clause 7.5)

Monitoring and evaluation and decision making

• Effectively monitor impacts and use of trusted, key guidance for BC to inform decisions
• Agree decision-making methodology and governance structures for BC
• Use models such as the Joint Decision Model (JDM) for making decisions for multi-agency response or organisational level
• Agree processes for effectively standing response down, including decision makers and deciding factors (e.g. ISO22301: Clause 8.4.4.3)

Recovery of businesses and Maintenance of BC

• Promote recovery as a chance for innovation of current processes, organizations, communities and behaviours, which is in keeping with 'Continual Improvement' (e.g. ISO22301: Clause 10.2; 'Innovation' in BS65000)
• Advocate the lifecycle of the BC plan and the accuracy of priorities and how lessons are learned from incidents

Consider a consistent approach to the response to, and management of, risks arising from COVID-19. This includes consideration of impacts on transition periods from emergency response into recovery, or recovery into renewal.

• Agree a process to approve any declaration of a state of local emergency or local transition period for emergencies that need to consider COVID-19 related matters. For example, consider who declares the emergency, the powers to enforce, what enforcement means, the role of political leaders in approval
• Agree plans for concurrent emergencies - to declare a state of local emergency (for a non-COVID-19 event, such as a flood) when a state of national emergency is in place for COVID-19. Consider impacts on these transitions
• Agree plans to declare a local state of emergency (for a non-COVID-19 event, such as a flood) that does not end any national transition period in force for COVID-19
• Agree plans for a local transition period for a non-COVID-19 related emergency when in a national transition period for COVID19

COVID-19 has exposed the vulnerabilities of critical services and infrastructures. Electrical power systems have been severely affected by the pandemic, threatening not only their current functionality but also their longer-term resilience, reliability and sustainability. Consider:

• How to improve communication between core utility sectors such as water and energy sectors (including renewable energy). Often these sectors have been planned, operated and regulated in isolation which reduces overall resilience of the sector in an emergency
• How to ensure decarbonization of the electricity sector is adequately integrated into COVID-19 recovery strategies to support economic growth and jobs
• How to encourage a collective response from organizations and stakeholders across multiple sectors e.g. electricity generation, water management, finance and investment, agriculture etc to ensure the growth of low-carbon infrastructure to holistically address actions that reduce cascading climate risks

In one city in Denmark, a number of meetings are being held with local businesses to support local business and economic regeneration. These include:

• Weekly meetings with the local business association and the Mayor to explain the citys economic situation, advise on help packages for businesses, and explain business regeneration schemes
• Additional meetings to ask local businesses what type of projects they need to have funded immediately to inform local government's funding agenda
• Meetings to allow local businesses to bid for local regeneration projects funded by local government. These have included retrofitting schools with solar panels, renovation of local high street shops and buildings, and road works
• Local government have committed to paying invoices to business at the beginning of projects rather than the end, to provide businesses with more liquidity

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

In Denmark, an urban development project considers:

• Mitigating loneliness e.g. day-care for children has been integrated into a nursing home
• Bike lanes that link the suburbs to larger cities
• Availability of accessible green spaces to support mental and physical wellbeing
• Social housing to improve quality of life of poor or marginalized people. This includes a health focus on proximity living which can increase risk of disease
• Renewable energy supply to the building to provide energy security which is important during emergencies

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

Every local government area is likely to have a large number of people who are vulnerable but not eligible for a government food parcel delivery. Some of these people will not be able to access the food they need to stay at home due to:

• Too little money to buy food (including problems with benefits payments)
• Personal crisis for reasons other than COVID-19 (e.g. domestic violence)
• Health issues, disability or caring roles personally, or in the household
• Lack of friends, family or social support to deliver food

In Greenwich, strategic 'food pathways' have been mapped to organise partnerships for large-scale food provision for vulnerable groups, and to relieve pressure on food banks. Pathways include:

• • A model for local governments, local resilience forums and the voluntary sector to work in partnership.
  • To determine appropriate interventions, local governments triage those requiring food support into people who are:
    • financially secure but cannot shop
    • financially insecure and can shop
    • financially insecure and cannot shop
  • A model for community/ third sector groups. Based on this triage, community groups can assess the needs of community and provide appropriate interventions e.g. emergency individual meals or signposting to services

While disposable masks are necessary for keyworkers, promoting more environmentally friendly alternatives such as reusable masks and more frequent hand washing (opposed to disposable gloves) could be considered. Plastic pollution, already a threat to marine life and oceans has increased as a result of COVID-19 waste. Public campaigns to encourage the use of environmentally friendly alternatives and appropriate disposal could be considered.

Universities have a positive impact on future regional growth of GDP per capita. In the UK, universities support community activity, work on an applied level with many smaller businesses, and students stimulate the local economy. Consider how to:

• Support existing university-business relationships and encourage new partnerships to benefit both parties
• Develop regional offices to help build local knowledge to identify and convey concerns of universities to national bodies. These may be co-located with other local partnerships and institutions
• Foster a bottom-up, local consensus across geographical areas that identifies the resources universities need from government
• Ensure that university cities are safe and secure places for students, and to be communicated as such
• Ensure that overseas students have access to health services as required

In Australia, local government are undertaking capability gap assessments to identify sectors that lack enough skilled personnel to undertake recovery projects. In New Zealand, the government is focusing on the role of the construction industry in positively impacting the economy and are implementing programmes to upskill trades people in preparation for building works. In addition, both countries are reinstating apprenticeships in vocational jobs such as construction, plumbing and electrical work to support young people, and short/long-term economic regeneration.

Our partners, the Global Resilient Cities Network, discuss the challenges ahead for cities and local governments in addressing recovery; the strategic planning tools required in response; the importance of resilience and the phases of work involved in recovering from a crises like COVID-19. GRCN demonstrate the need to invest time and effort in learning from the successes and challenges to inform better preparedness for future challenges and to prevent the poorest and most vulnerable from being worst impacted again.

To read this briefing in full, follow the source link below (p.5-8).

This week in the UK is Carers Week. Carers Week aims to raise awareness of caring and the challenges carers face. It is also a time to help people who may not identify as having caring responsibilities and to help them recognize this so they can access much-needed support[1]. This is particularly important as an estimated 4.5 million people in the UK have become unpaid carers for elderly, disabled or physically or mentally ill relatives since the COVID-19 pandemic[2]. This is on top of the existing 9.1 million unpaid carers that already provide support in the UK[3].

Around 2.7 million women and 1.8 million men have become new carers, typically helping with food shopping, finances, collecting medication and providing emotional support2. Others may be taking on more intense roles that include helping people with personal hygiene, movement around the home and meal preparation. 62% who have started caring since the outbreak are also juggling paid work alongside their caring responsibilities[4].

Unpaid carers in the UK have described facing mounting anxiety and frustration regarding getting access to vital medication from pharmacies and time spent queuing for medication or food shopping due to social distancing rules[5]. As a result, the following advice has been provided to improve carers’ experiences and ability to access the medicines they need. These include:

• Allowing two people into store when the carer has no choice but to take the person being cared for to the pharmacy with them
• Considering prioritising un-paid carers of vulnerable/shielding people for medicine delivery slots
• Recognising that, for some families, young carers are the only people able to collect medicines in the household

Recognising the role of young carers is extremely important. Of the 13 and a half million unpaid carers in the UK, an estimated 700,000 are children[6]. Evidence suggests that young carers and young adult carers are being disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 and are experiencing high levels of anxiety and isolation as a result of lockdown[7]. Many young carers are under increasing strain while schools remain closed as caring responsibilities increase and time away from these at school decreases[8].

Additionally, other systems used to support and safeguard young carers such as health and social care systems, are struggling under the pressure from COVID-19 impacts[9] as they continue to make changes to accommodate the needs of disabled and vulnerable people[10]. While this is vital, it may draw attention away from the often hidden and marginalised needs of young carers[11], and may miss many new young carers[12]. Where young carers are in contact with local authorities, they are encouraged to discuss with what support or services they need by[13]:

• Thinking about good and bad days being a carer
• Making notes about a typical day helping the person they care for, including their own needs and concerns
• Thinking about things which would help them cope, their aims, hopes, and what is important to them

Although there a huge challenges for unpaid carers, the issue is gaining visibility as a result of the rising numbers of people providing care and has led to calls to government to deliver social care reforms that detail long-term investment into care and support services[14]. This is increasingly important as the timeframes of the pandemic are unknown, and more people may be required to provide care for longer periods of time. Charities supporting carers have called for4:

• An increase in Carer’s Allowance – currently £67.25 a week
• A “one-off coronavirus supplement” in recognition of the role unpaid carers have played in the pandemic and the significant costs associated with caring
• Increased recognition of the vital work unpaid carers provide and the limited support they can currently receive due to COVID-19 restrictions
• Physical and mental support for carers and increased investment in support services
• Carers must be a priority for regular testing and PPE, particularly where they care for the most vulnerable

The government recommends that all carers create an emergency plan with the person they care for to use in circumstances where help from other people to deliver care is needed. This may be from family, friends or another care provider[15]. They advise the following details are provided:

• The name and address and any other contact details of the person you look after
• Who you and the person you look after would like to be contacted in an emergency
• Details of any medication the person you look after is taking

Details of any ongoing treatment they need and any medical appointments they need to take

References:

[1] https://www.carersweek.org/about-us

[2] https://www.carersweek.org/media-and-updates/item/493439-covid-19-pandemic-4-5-million-become-unpaid-carers-in-a-matter-of-weeks

[3] https://www.carersweek.org/media-and-updates/item/493439-covid-19-pandemic-4-5-million-become-unpaid-carers-in-a-matter-of-weeks

[4] https://www.carersweek.org/media-and-updates/item/493439-covid-19-pandemic-4-5-million-become-unpaid-carers-in-a-matter-of-weeks

[5] https://carers.org/news-and-media/news/post/42-organisations-work-together-to-improve-unpaid-carersa-access-to-medicines-during-the-covid-19-pandemic

[6] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-52948236/coronavirus-life-as-a-young-carer-under-lockdown

[7]https://carers.org/what-we-do/our-survey-on-the-impact-of-coronavirus-on-young-carers-and-young-adult-carers-

[8] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-52948236/coronavirus-life-as-a-young-carer-under-lockdown

[9] https://www.uea.ac.uk/about/-/new-project-examines-impact-of-covid-19-on-young-carers

[10] https://www.uea.ac.uk/about/-/new-project-examines-impact-of-covid-19-on-young-carers

[11] https://www.uea.ac.uk/about/-/new-project-examines-impact-of-covid-19-on-young-carers

[12] https://carers.org/what-we-do/our-survey-on-the-impact-of-coronavirus-on-young-carers-and-young-adult-carers-

[13] https://www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk/info/200220/carers_and_caring/505/carers/11

[14] https://www.itv.com/news/2020-06-08/millions-have-become-carers-due-to-covid-crisis-new-research-finds/

[15] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-providing-unpaid-care/guidance-for-those-who-provide-unpaid-care-to-friends-or-family

COVID-19 has put a spotlight on wider socioeconomic and health inequalities and vulnerabilities which require long-term interventions. Social justice perspectives address creating fair and just relations between individuals and society through societal transformation to ensure the dignity and rights of people. A social justice perspective would support tackling a number of important inequalities highlighted globally during COVID-19 response and recovery. These include:

• Disparities in the risk and outcomes of COVID-19 for black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) people
• Increased risk to women from domestic violence within their homes
• Safety of LGBTQI+ community- safety at home for these communities may be more precarious as they're at a higher risk of homelessness (especially young people) and domestic abuse. Additionally, specific safe community spaces for LGBTQI+ communities have been lost, and access to healthcare can be difficult due to specific needs (this can be especially hard for trans people)
• Significant financial risk to those with precarious employment, which can lead to extreme poverty and homelessness
• Vulnerability of children as a result of any of the above issues - compounded by reduced safe spaces, such as schools, which also provide access to meals, pastoral care and resources e.g. internet and computers

TMB Issue 10 brings together the reflections of our learning from the first 10 weeks of gathering lessons on recovery and renewal from COVID-19. Follow the source link below to read all of the reflections from our team (p.9-15)

Standards-making organisations have made freely available a range of standards which may be useful to tackling COVID-19. These cover topics such as:

• Humanitarian (ISO22395 vulnerable people, ISO22319 spontaneous volunteers)
• Economic (ISO22316 organizational resilience, ISO 22301 business continuity management systems)
• Infrastructure (ISO/TS 22318 supply chain continuity, CSA Z8002 infection control systems)
• Environment (BS 67000 city resilience)
• Communication (C63.27 evaluation of wireless co-existence)
• Governance and Legislation (ISO 22320 emergency management, ISO31000 risk management)
• Medical (ISO 10651 lung ventilators, EN14683 face masks)

Such bodies have also been taking various sources of government guidance and synthesising their messages into a single guide to support their members to understand how to follow those guidance (e.g. safe working, working in the new normal).

TMB Issue 10 brings together the reflections of our learning from the first 10 weeks of gathering lessons on recovery and renewal from COVID-19. Follow the source link below to read all of the reflections from our team (p.9-15).

Across the world we witness how local governments have seized the initiative to incorporate new measures that have the potential to address climate change. Climate change is a crisis that precludes, has continued during and will be present after coronavirus. Many of the innovations in place are temporary but it is essential they are turned into permanent fixtures and extended upon. To follow leading practices consider:

Thinking creatively to reduce carbon emissions through transport infrastructure transformation:

• Widening pedestrian and cycle lanes
• Reducing car parking space and closing roads to cars
• Increasing tax rates for car drivers and creating a 'city in 15 minutes' where access to all essential services can be reached without using a car

Measuring and maintaining community benefits of carbon reductions:

• Understanding the job creation opportunities e.g. Copenhagen estimates that it will create 35,000 jobs with its transition to zero carbon emissions
• Identifying the immediate life-saving health benefits from moving to carbon neutral cities
• Realising the increase in emotional and physical health and wellbeing connected to less air and noise pollution

Changing approaches to work life:

• Remote working can be easily continued for many and is a key factor in reducing carbon emissions
• Investing in remote working platforms, promoting home working, increasing cycle to work schemes and reducing car parking at workplaces

TMB Issue 10 brings together the reflections of our learning from the first 10 weeks of gathering lessons on recovery and renewal from COVID-19. Follow the source link below to read all of the reflections from our team (p.9-15).

Consider:

• That systems are not always focused on all the needs of people but rather on specific health conditions. Support for people and their overall health is vital rather than the restoration of specific services.
• That there will be challenges about aligning all the different health and care activities that are required in each place. Central government organisation may mean a lack of alignment at a place level depending on the department. For example, health systems, local resilience forums and environmental infrastructure are all different in England. We have learned that effective partnerships need to be developed 'bottom up' at place level, and many of these have worked well during COVID-19 response.
• Partnerships between organisations and between and in communities have worked well because of relaxation of information governance, financial constraints, central guidance and regulation. Careful consideration must be given to the extent to which these are reinstated and the timing of this.
• New processes that have been established during response, and the extent to which they can and should be continued. IN particular, remote consultations between health care providers, both in hospital and primary care, currently comprise the vast majority of interaction. Reverting to the pre-COVID method of primarily face to face will have both positive and negative consequences, which will differ across society. Careful thought needs to be given to the equality impact of retaining these changes.
• The power of each part of the health system - including that of the large health service providers (hospitals) but also the power of the people who live in each place. The longer-term consequences of e.g. establishing COVID-free (cold) hospital sties must be considered from a population perspective.

TMB Issue 10 brings together the reflections of our learning from the first 10 weeks of gathering lessons on recovery and renewal from COVID-19. Follow the source link below to read all of the reflections from our team (p.9-15).

I have noted how meetings have struggled to identify shared and comfortable language to describe recovery. The TMB team have defined two terms - Recovery and Renewal:

Recovery can be dealt with through Local Authority led Recovery Coordination Groups, and be:

• A relatively short-term process that involves reinstating normal operations, learning from response, and preparing resilience for the next emergency
• Focused on positive transactional activities to address exposed fragilities and identify wider opportunities
• Relatively fast-paced but this will depend on ongoing demands, outbreaks, backlogs, fatigue, supply difficulties
• Involving a review of operations so organisations will decide what they want to reinstate and what they don't see value in reinstating

Renewal is an ambitious focus on what the future should be like and how to achieve that, and be:

• A relatively medium/long-term process that involves appreciating what has happened, and develop renewal plans to implement
• Considering issues beyond Recovery which are transformational so include a complex web of strategic actions across social, political/democratic, and developmental issues
• Ambitious and address future opportunities for the local government such those in the UN's Sustainable Development Goals
• Developed by wide multiple relationships and broader partnerships - initially through a Renewal Summit to agree joint focus

TMB Issue 10 brings together the reflections of our learning from the first 10 weeks of gathering lessons on recovery and renewal from COVID-19. Follow the source link below to read all of the reflections from our team (p.9-15).

The local context is extremely important. The economic impacts of COVID-19 will play out locally in different ways. Consider:

• Engaging with local businesses and stakeholders regularly to understand the needs and concerns particular to the area and to inform local government's funding agenda
• Identifying projects which can be fast tracked, or are of particular concern to the local economy and need immediate funding
• Mapping of specific local industries that have been hit hard by impacts of COVID-19 such as tourism, or certain types of manufacturing as these will need attention to avoid long-term, potentially generational impacts of economic decline
• Capacity mapping of skills to develop programmes to upskill and train people in priority employment sectors - this may be industries such as construction
• How to support Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). SMEs represent around 80-90% of business in many national economies and are deeply integrated in local communities economically and socially. They provide spaces for innovation, competition and are an essential source of employment

TMB Issue 10 brings together the reflections of our learning ffrom the first 10 weeks of gathering lessons on recovery and renewal from COVID-19. Follow the source link below to read all of the reflections from our team (p.9-15)

No-one has been un-touched by Covid-19. It has brought vulnerability and the perception of risk to each of our doorsteps and is making an entire nation think about how we behave against the COVID-19 risk. The public have been taught about risk over the weeks by constant use of risk principles such as transmission rate, R, personal protection, their own personal vulnerability. This emphasises the need to lower risk through shielding, social distancing, hand washing, and self-isolation.

One major response to this risk is the public's willingness to volunteer - both through officially directed activities and through mutual aid activities. The public know their effort is essential to reduce the risk of those who are intensely vulnerable - however, they may not realise that their action is creating resilience in our society. Now, we all know that small groups of people can change the world and can build resilience when we need it.

Consider:

• That there is currently an opportunity to talk more about this wide-scale risk - before people become more disillusioned and fatigued with COVID-19
• How to enhance the public's understanding of risk by simple messages which are easily understood and not nuanced
• How to educate the public on risk and resilience
• How mass volunteering builds resilience
• How this new expression of volunteering social capital has created opportunities to:
  • strengthen resilient and society
  • change the relationship between crisis responders and volunteers
• How to convert the experiences of children and young person into a legacy about prevention, preparedness and social responsibility learning

It is possible that the general public's understanding of risk and resilience is greater than ever before - let's capitalise on that

TMB Issue 10 brings together the reflections of our learning from the first 10 weeks of gathering lessons on recovery and renewal from COVID-19. Follow the source link below to read all of the reflections from our team (p.9-15)

These concerns relate to opening infrastructure and maintaining infrastructure.

Opening infrastructure

• Schools - the reopening of schools is a hugely complex issue that requires consideration of health and safety, staffing, finances, building capacity and facilities. Reopening schools also has socioeconomic implications related to rights to education, safeguarding children, feasibility of adults to work and the economic impacts of this
• Public transport - reopening public transport services, increasing service capacity, and public trust in transport use is vital to keep cities and regions moving. Ensuring safe and sustainable mobility support local economies and the environment

Maintaining infrastructure

• Supply chains - special attention should be paid to the flexibility and resilience of supply chains as supply chain failures can have devastating impacts on capacity to respond and recover. Supply chains should be prepared for a second wave of the pandemic; critical and alternative suppliers should be identified so supply chains can be modified
• Internet access and cyber security - ensuring safe and secure connection and reliable internet access is crucial in keeping people, government and economies running. It also forms an important role in safe and trustworthy risk communication at all levels of society

TMB Issue 10 brings together the reflections of our learning from the first 10 weeks of gathering lessons on recovery and renewal from COVID-19. Follow the source link below to read all of the reflections from our team (p.9-15).

Despite contextual and narrative differences for recovery and renewal globally, common opportunities and challenges have emerged.

Opportunities to consider:

Volunteers

• Utilise and nurture the wave of volunteerism, solidarity, altruism and philanthropy that has arisen
• Implement mechanisms to effectively manage these contributions to provide core services when the system is overwhelmed

Challenges to consider:

Emotional health and wellbeing

• There have been wide-ranging effects on populations' mental health and well-being. Impacts are greater on certain populations and those pre-existing conditions
• The long-term consequences of COVID-19 on mental health are expected to reach an unprecedented scale
• Mental health services suffer from underfunding and limited resources - significant attention is needed to meet long-term demand and scale of need

Continuity of support for vulnerable people

• Continuity of support in both health and social care is vital to mitigate compounding vulnerabilities. This should account for those in the system pre-COVID-19 and those who may have become newly vulnerable as a result of poor physical or mental health, financial difficulties or social vulnerabilities

TMB Issue 10 brings together the reflections of our learning from the first 10 weeks of gathering lessons on recovery and renewal from COVID-19. Follow the source link below to read all of the reflections from our team (p.9-15)

I have identified that some of the global responses to these challenges provide potential for renewed communication strategies. To realise renewed crisis communication strategies that engage the public, local authorities should consider:

Techniques to counter disinformation

• Recognising bot generated information on social media and fact-checking claims

Working with communities on communication campaigns

• Encouraging institutions in the local community to transmit key messages
• Increase community engagement and public enrolment in crisis governance

Reflecting community diversity in communications

• Ensuring the needs of all members of the public are addressed in communication strategies
• Producing messages in different languages, addressing different age groups and attuning communications to different abilities

Using multiple media

• Using various media platforms from advertising surfaces to mass text messaging and public artwork

TMB Issue 10 brings together the reflections of our learning from the first 10 weeks of gathering lessons on recovery and renewal from COVID-19. Follow the source link below to read all of the reflections from our team (p.9-15).