Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the need to communicate information to the general public clearly and through trusted sources has been paramount to saving lives.
Providing timely information about case rates, local and national restrictions, testing, safety advice and vaccines has been, and continues to be, vital in broadening the wider public understanding and ensuring everyone knows how they can best protect themselves and their loves ones.
In towns and cities with diverse populations, this has presented specific challenges in how to reach all communities in the right way. This includes people who may not speak English as a first language, young people who may feel they are not impacted, people from Black, Asian or ethnic minority backgrounds who historically may have had limited engagement with public health services or poor access to healthcare, and groups or individuals who simply have a general distrust of government and health organisations.
United approach
In London, one of the many ways we have approached this issue is by uniting local authorities, public health organisations, stakeholders and partners under the Keep London Safe campaign. The campaign is aimed at providing trusted, accurate information about the COVID-19 pandemic, ensuring a level playing field for all Londoners, where no group or individual is missed.
This has meant identifying and listening to communities about how they access information, what they want to know and which people or sources they most trust – a vital dialogue for informing an effective campaign.
Launched in July 2020, Keep London Safe is a partnership between London boroughs, London Councils, PHE, NHS and the GLA, with key players and coordination largely sitting within Hackney Council.
Sourch: https://publichealthmatters.blog.gov.uk/2021/04/01/how-london-is-reaching-diverse-communities-with-vital-covid-19-information/
