Community responses to COVID-19 in Greater Manchester

How have communities across Greater Manchester responded to the COVID-19 pandemic? What new ways of working together and caring for each other have developed as a result? This event, hosted by Policy@Manchester, featured a panel of guest speakers with first-hand experience of community responses to COVID-19 in Greater Manchester, and the lessons that we can all learn.

In this online conversation, our panel and audience reflected on:

• How our communities innovated, particularly in the gaps created by lack of policy direction, to take care of each other;
• The upcoming challenges and opportunities for addressing inequalities that have been amplified during the pandemic such as those associated with physical and mental health, vaccination and prevention policies, education and employment impacts, and the lifting of restrictions;
• The lessons that the leaders of our political and healthcare systems can learn from the successes and the challenges of community responses, such as making the most of community assets and resilience for building back in the wake of the pandemic.

The panel discussion was followed by a Q&A in which personal reflections and cross-cutting connections from the audience on this topic were particularly encouraged.

Panel:

• Basma Issa, Charity and community volunteer worker, Syrian refugees in Greater  Manchester
• Rachel Brennan, Groundswell
• Charles Kwaku-Odoi, Caribbean and African Health Network
• Afzal Khan MP, Member of Parliament for Manchester Gorton

 

This event was recorded on 18 May 2021.