COVID-19 ‘The Aftermath’

The COVID-19 pandemic is a milestone in human history. We already refer to ‘pre-pandemic’ when reflecting on how things were different.

However, I feel unsure about where we are now. For me, it doesn’t feel like ‘after’, as it’s still very much going on…but it doesn’t feel like 2020 or 2021 either where restrictions were the measures to judge it by.

It feels difficult to plan for the future right now as the future feels so uncertain. We don’t know what to expect in 3 months time, let alone 6 months or a year. It’s not just COVID-19 either, with so many other factors affecting the quality of life right now, things do feel unsettled.

As our organisation tries to navigate this new pace of life with new challenges, we’re faced with making difficult decisions about the health and safety of our service users, staff and volunteers, while balancing the need to provide accessible services for those who need them.

Thinking ahead to things like events, keeping our Shopmobility open throughout winter, and potential new variants coming into the mix – it’s hard to know how to judge it without direction from the government as a starting point.

We’ve been meeting with other DPOs (Disabled People’s Organisations) around the UK to get a feel for how they’re doing things in these irregular times.

Emily Morton, Disability Sheffield, shares our concerns. Without government guidance, DPOs are having to risk assess each piece of work individually. Staff and volunteers across the UK are divided by COVID-19 anxieties, pre-existing health conditions and the threat of declining mental health when faced with home working long term.

Whilst we review our existing policy and practice, it would be great to hear from you about how you’re feeling now when it comes to COVID-19.

If you’d be willing to share your thoughts in our survey, it would really help us to build a bigger picture and move forward.

Here’s a link should you wish to take part: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/PPPXQ89

In the meantime, we will keep you updated about any changes to our practice that might affect your decision-making process of whether to use any of our services.

Stay safe,

Development Team

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