Key messages translated in bid to reach more people
LOCAL lockdown advice and coronavirus guidance has been made available in different languages in an attempt to ensure messages reach everyone in the city.
Key messages have been translated for images that can easily be shared across WhatsApp and social media so they reach a wider audience, while thousands of leaflets will be delivered to homes in affected areas of the city.
Last week, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said there were “particular problems in Leicester in implementing the advice and getting people to understand what it is necessary to do”.
In response, Leicester City Council shared the images with councillors and online. In addition, health professionals are running a free online webinar this week to help people understand more about coronavirus in the face of the spike in cases in Leicester.
GPs and medical experts will be presenting the facts about the virus and helping people know more about how they can safely manage their health on Thursday.
Details will be presented in more than 10 different languages to help overcome language barriers and ensure the information reaches people from the city’s diverse communities.
Ivan Browne, Leicester City Council’s director of public health, will be joined by GP Dr Aruna Garcea and Dr Tariq Kapasi, medical director of Willows Health for the event.
A spokesman for Willows Health said: “This is a local initiative, led and created by grassroots GPs. It’s the first of its kind in reaching citizens and patients in a novel way.
“It is the first of a series of regular webinars where local experts will describe what lockdown means to local citizens, and how they can safely manage their health. This is more important in Leicester given the particular vulnerability of black and minority ethnic groups to coronavirus.”
Mr Browne said: “It’s very important to remember the virus hasn’t gone away – and that we’re still in the middle of an epidemic.
“If we all stay alert and take sensible precautions, we can help stop the spread of this very contagious virus.”
A coronavirus government guidance translation service is also on offer to city residents.
Al-Khair Foundation has been working closely with communities in an attempt to break down language barriers, ensuring everyone can understand the guidelines and social distancing.
Staff and volunteers at the Leicester branch have already been translating the NHS “Stay at Home” posters and guidelines into a variety of languages, which are spoken widely across the city – such as Gujarati, Urdu, Punjabi and Bengali.
Now, they are distributing thousands of leaflets in a bid to help get the infection rate back under control.
Aamir Abassi, of AKF’s Leicester branch, said: “We have been working tirelessly to help those in need during the pandemic providing food and operating helplines. But then as we travelled around the city we realised some people in the area were struggling to understand the situation as they didn’t speak English or it’s not their first language. The guidelines, after all, are relatively complex.
“We then started translating NHS posters and government leaflets and delivering them with food items whilst explaining the importance of the information.
“But now it’s clear we need to do more – getting the message across to people of different languages across the city is a key concern.”
Aamir added: “In the next few days, we will be distributing the government posters and guidelines translated into a variety of languages. We will also be posting any urgent updates in key languages on social media. This way we can ensure the information is reaching everyone.”