While the country remains in the delay phase attempting to contain COVID-19 and minimise its worst effects, little consideration yet is being given to the aftermath and what support people and communities will need post-pandemic.
Now a research centre at the University of Cumbria is seeking people’s personal experiences of living through COVID-19 (coronavirus) in a bid to support communities once the peak of the pandemic has passed.
They mean to ensure the needs of all people are fully considered and the impact of social isolation and the virus on all social groups is understood.
The Centre for Research in Health and Society (CRiHS) based within the university’s respected Institute of Health, is keen to support recovery from the pandemic by researching the lived experiences of people in Cumbria initially, with possibility of expanding nationally at a later date.
Researchers are keen to understand what people need support with now and intend to share their findings with councils and Government.
Commenting on the research, Kaz Stuart, Professor of Social and Health Inequalities at CRiHS, who recently shared her concerns on Cumbria’s unique status for inequality,said: “We’ve never experienced anything like this before, multiple countries across world locked down and not for many generations have individuals had their personal freedoms curtained so completely.
“That is why this research is vital because it is all too easy to overlook the impact of coronavirus on people’s lives that differ from our own. We can only work from assumptions unless we are guided by real-life experiences.
“Ultimately, this virus and the social control measures enforced to manage it are inscribed on people physically and psychologically and we need understand the impacts so that services can be adapted to meet their needs when this is all over.”
Professor Kaz Stuart has put a call out over Twitter asking for people to share their COVID-19 stories.
She is encouraging people to reply to her tweet or get in touch by other channels or the website https://www.cumbria.ac.uk/research/centres/crihs-research-centre/working-with-crihs/
These are:
Email: [email protected]
Facebook: CRHealthandSociety
Twitter: @CentreCrihs
Linkedin: Centre for Research in Health and Society
