Covid-19 Support for BAME Communities

This page provides information for Covid-19 support for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities. You will find a list of services which can help and support you through the pandemic.

What to do if you have Covid-19 symptoms

If you have any of the main symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19), get a test as soon as possible. Stay at home until you get the result.

Main symptoms

The main symptoms of coronavirus are:

  • A high temperature – this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature)
  • A new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual)
  • A loss or change to your sense of smell or taste – this means you've noticed you cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal

What to do if you have symptoms?

If you have any of the main symptoms of coronavirus:

  1. Get a test to check if you have coronavirus as soon as possible.
  2. You and anyone you live with should stay at home and not have visitors until you get your test result – only leave your home to have a test.

Anyone in your support bubble should also stay at home if you have been in close contact with them since your symptoms started or during the 48 hours before they started.

Testing and tracing for coronavirus

Get a test to check if you have coronavirus, understand your test result and find out what to do if you're contacted by NHS Test and Trace.

Get a PCR test to check if you have Covid-19

Testing and Tracing for Coronavirus

Covid-19 support line for BAME communities

What we already know

A third of Covid-19 patients are from Black and Asian Minority Ethnic population (BAME).

Why is this service necessary

Covid-19 related emotional support for BAME families is limited in Greater Manchester.

Who can call?

People from BAME communities who are:

  • Recovering from COVID-19 or are self-isolating.
  • Relatives and friends of client’s suffering from COVID-19.
  • Bereaved relatives and friends of a deceased COVID-19 person.
  • BAME women and young girls victims of abuse and violence.

Who we are

  • A charity specialised in the provision of cross-culture emotional support.
  • Registered mental health practitioners and psychotherapists.
  • Bilingual trained peer mentors skilled in basic cultural counselling.
  • Community support volunteer workers.

What is available?

  • Advice, guidance and signposting relating to COVID-19 maters.
  • Cross-culture emotional support related to pre and post Covid-19 issues.
  • Tailored psychosocial therapy for women and young girl victims of violence and abuse during COVID-19.

Individual and Group therapy available

  • Online trainings available.
  • Advice, guidance and support provided in varied languages including Somali, Kurdish, Swahili, Urdu, Arabic, French and more.

Who to contact

Telephone: 07862 279289 or 07894 126157. 

You can also text the word ‘HELP’ and someone will get back to you, open seven days a week from 10am to 6pm.

Email: info@nestac.org.uk 

See NESTAC website

BAME support services
Long Covid support

Please see services below which can support you through long term covid.

Online support

Other support services

  • Barnardos - Rochdale activity groups and support.

Health and wellbeing support

  • Rochdale Mind - We provide a range of services to support people with mild to moderate mental health and wellbeing issues in the Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale area.  Our services are designed by people with lived experience for service users.
  • Living Well Rochdale - The Living Well team is here to help you make healthy lifestyle changes that will improve your health and wellbeing.

Information and guidance

Covid -19 vaccination guidance in various languages on the GOV.UK website

The following guides are translated in various languages such as Hindi, Arabic, Bengali, Gujarati, Farsi, Punjabi, Chinese, Polish, Turkish, Romanian, Albanian, Somali, Spanish and much more.

Local advice

  1. Support for families during Covid-19

    We would like to say a huge thank you to families for staying at home and staying safe during these unusual circumstances. We appreciate how difficult this can be especially if you live with children and young people. We are here to help. There is…
  2. Rochdale Local Offer COVID-19 Help and Guidance

  3. Help with food for families

    Find support if you need help with food for your family. We have local food banks and you can join our food club. We can help with food vouchers for children on free school meals and for families experiencing difficult times, through the household fund.…

Page last reviewed: 07/08/2023