The only reason I see for me getting the Covid was because of my job.
 
Your occupation, yeah.
 
Yeah and you know that majority of black people although they might have a high education level, of academic skills they are doing a job that doesn’t necessarily really reflect their skill and majority of those jobs are carers. You know, or cleaner and these were key jobs. These jobs would not stop during pandemic so they had to go to their work, they had no other option. I couldn’t say ok, I am not going to my work, for who, who would pay for my meal? You know. I had to go. And a lot of black and brown people you know are in that sort of category and obviously they will be more affected like by the pandemic because they don’t have other option, they need to continue with their work so that’s just another facet of inequality But this just show you how unequal you know like some of the groups are compared to others I would say.
 
And when that news came out, did it hit you at a personal level? Did it make you worry for yourself or was it, was it again mainly worrying for the community, you know for the black community?
 
I would say both, I would say both but in some extent I am already used to our inequality like I know about it. I don’t even have to hear you know some other people saying, oh dah, dah, dah, dah because it’s something I know already. So it’s not like dramatically taken like, because I know that people are like me are disproportionally, you know like compared to other groups so that doesn’t really, you know raise any trigger. But obviously I was worried about the whole community and now people as well as about myself too although I say ok, I think I will survive. I think it is not my time yet to die [laughs].
 
Yeah.
 
Yeah, so it’s sad.

So you see the understanding was a lot of mixed feeling to be honest right. I think Covid give people depression [Laughs]. It’s that serious they should help others as well. I think there is a link between depression, anxiety and what this disease is to be honest.

When I took it I made sure I put it in social media. Just so you know to raise more awareness, so people maybe are more engaged to take it. I don’t know? But a lot of people in my community said, “Why did you take this? Based on what?” I wouldn’t take this,” dah, dah, dah, dah. So, there is a lot of resistance.

By the time I was in my car driving to my test centre I knew that I had Covid already. My whole body was really sore. I started with headache [laughs]. I know, you know it was weird because I never felt in such a way you know. I am a person who suffers a lot from flu but that was totally different from flu.

And so for like in my home country they use a lot of plant based, you know, natural remedies and some doctors use that as well, you know kind of natural medicine, so like garlic, lime… ginger. That also, that’s also helpful like for your lung and for your, just to protect you against the virus itself as well to help you with the things.

You don’t know with our service users because also like they were isolated. All of them were in their shielding and we are the only person who go in and out of the service. And we are the one who brought Covid. It’s not him. They did not leave, you know. You feel that sense of guilt as well [sighs]. Ahh dear.

In my service, the majority of my colleagues are Scottish. The majority. But they are Scottish and a middle age, okay. Okay, maybe people who did not have access to a higher education. People who are not from a higher class of course they are from a low income class and majority of them you can see that they are from the area [place names] and in [City] like East End. None of them are from West End [laughs]. Or you know like, I don’t know I think there is a relationship you know between the job that they do and their class let’s say like in the society and their age as well because majority of them were like 40 and above. And then, no I would say majority is 50 and above. Yeah 50 and above and now doing this job you know. And they have been doing it for life like they are going to retire in this job and I feel like the youngest person in there. But yeah it’s either people like that in this Scottish category or migrant people.