Recovery, Renewal, Resilience

In 2018, The Queensland Reconstruction Authority[1] began a transformational initiative to develop “locally led, co-designed regional resilience strategies to support the coordination and prioritisation of future resilience building and mitigation projects across Queensland”[2]. The initiative was recognised by the UN’s Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) Sendai Framework Voluntary Commitments platform[3]. The aim is to ensure that by 2022, “every region across Queensland will be involved in a locally-led and regionally-coordinated blueprint to strengthen disaster resilience”. While the strategy was implemented prior to COVID-19, it has lots to offer those currently planning regional and local Recovery Strategies and Renewal Initiatives post-COVID-19.

The regional resilience strategies incorporate an integrated planning approach[4] involving multiple professional and stakeholder groups. The key elements contained in each strategy include:

• “physical and mental health;
• structural mitigation;
• land-use planning;
• building practices;
• economic continuity;
• disaster response;
• landscape management;
• essential infrastructure;
• community awareness and resilience”.

Each strategy will be supported by local resilience action plans to guide implementation of resilience pathways[5]. The aim for local resilience action plans are to:

• “Address local needs within the context of the regional strategic imperatives;
• Draw regional connections and commonalities;
• Increase local government capacity and capability;
• Support local government with day-to-day activities;
• Identify risk-informed projects;
• Identify integration pathways”.

Although developed at regional level, the strategies aim to be “flexible and scalable, so that they can be adapted to changing contexts and tailored to specific community needs”. The initiative supports capacity building to develop local and regional capabilities as well as to coordinate support from other regions and the state. The initiative has prioritised the development of resilience strategies that closely align to available resources and funding. We provide details on two regional strategies and related case studies below:

Central West Queensland Regional Resilience Strategy[6]

The Central West Queensland Resilience Strategy is centred on “new possibilities” through aligning the objectives of economic development, resilience and climate adaption to mitigate the region’s exposure to the impacts of climate variability and uncertainty.

The strategy offers local case studies in disaster recovery, health and economic resilience. For example:

• The 2019 Monsoon Trough devastated the Winton Shire area. Local government and the community implemented the ‘Winton shire community-led recovery’ plan. The plan put the ‘Neighbourhood Centre’ staff as the central point of contact for community-led recovery, allowing “locals to speak with a local” – so residents got recovery support from other local people who were familiar with the area and the communities values
• The ‘Head Yakka’ programme focused on partnership working between local governments, communities and not-for-profit organisations, for the mental health and wellbeing of outback communities. ‘Head Yakka’ is a “place-based” and “engagement-based” program that capitalizes on existing community networks
• ‘The Lake Dunn Sculpture Trail’, an organically created local tourism project showcasing the innovation and creative spirit of local communities. This project transitioned a local venture into an international tourist attraction

Mary Regional Resilience Strategy[7]

The Mary Regional Resilience Strategy takes a “multi-hazard approach to the varied aspects of disaster resilience, noting that many resilience-building measures and activities are often multi-dimensional”.

The strategy offers case study examples of recovery and resilience building initiatives. For example:

• ‘Get Ready Generation Z’, a workshop run in partnership between local school leaders and regional and local councils, focused on educating young people on the foundations of local resilience. The workshop also gave local young people the opportunity to share their personal stories on being a resilient member of a resilient community. The workshop inspired young people to outline their criteria for community resilience
• Regional community-focused readiness workshops, facilitated by local authorities, enabling community groups to share information and insights on community assets and capabilities available in the event of an emergency
• ‘Remembering our history’, an initiative that documents the history of local natural hazard events. Markers, plaques and public art installations support remembrance and commemoration of past events, their impact on community recovery, and record historical events

[1] https://www.preventionweb.net/organization/queensland-reconstruction-authority

[2] https://sendaicommitments.undrr.org/commitments/20210223_001

[3] https://sendaicommitments.undrr.org/

[4] A multi-hazard approach that involves the integration of “all aspects of the disaster management cycle including preparedness, response, recovery and prevention”. https://www.preventionweb.net/files/14348_14348SheshKafleICBRR2010.pdf

[5] E.g. A climate-resilient pathway can include “strategies, choices and actions” that mitigate climate change and its effects, the design and implementation of effective disaster and risk management practices. https://unfccc.int/sites/default/files/5_warner.pdf

[6]https://www.qra.qld.gov.au/regional-resilience-strategies/central-west-regional-resilience-strategy

[7]https://www.qra.qld.gov.au/maryregion

COVID-19 has seen cities and local areas rapidly change how public spaces are used. In an effort to improve the daily lives and wellbeing of communities during the pandemic cities have implemented changes that were previously thought to be “radical”. How these temporary measures can transition to permanent design is a key renewal strategy in Sydney which is focusing on the vision of a people-centred city that aims to tackle the various social, health and equity challenges that recovery will bring. Their recent study, based on international best practice and data tracking, explains how to look beyond “basic infrastructure and traffic to create a city that people want to live in, visit, work and spend time in”. Consider the renewal recommendations set out in ‘Sustainable Sydney 2050, towards a more attractive and liveable city’:

Create ‘a city for all’

• Co-produce the planning and design of public spaces with the community and stakeholder groups
• Collect “public life data” and evaluate this data to inform decision-making
• Provide welcome spaces, increase facilities for children, close streets off to traffic at lunch time, expand the use of community buildings and ensure free Wi-Fi across the city – to make public spaces “more attractive for people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds”
• Support “public art and creative expression” to engage communities in the design of the city

Build a ‘green and cool city’

• Reinforce and drive action in “emissions control, waste, water and greening”
• Expand “tree canopies, biodiversity and the use of shade structures and awnings in public spaces”
• Upgrade transport links between the “city, parklands and the harbour” to improve mobility in and around public spaces

Protect the ‘heart’ of the city

• Transform the currently “traffic-dominated streets to people friendly streets”
• Capitalise on the “Metro, train and light rail infrastructure as the most efficient modes of transport for people”
• Increase walking space and pathways across the city
• Improve the connection of cycle networks to other transport networks (Metro/train) to promote cycling

The strategy also includes long-terms plans for four new “green avenues” which are “arterial roadways identified for transformation with reduced traffic, increased tree plantings and space for people”. A key message in the strategy is that partnerships between “all levels of governments, businesses and the community” is key to transforming cities.

Throughout the pandemic, the media has played a critical role in communicating aspects of crisis management, containment and response. A further opportunity may lie in harnessing the current levels of public engagement that have been developed through COVID-19 response to drive a new narrative. Consider the potential for media communications to:

• Support and drive a national recovery and renewal narrative that focuses on the next steps, generates awareness and interest from the public and builds a collective national effort to recover and renew from COVID-19 (as was highly effective for response and the recruitment of volunteers)
• Clearly communicate who is responsible for recovery and renewal priorities, what these priorities are and why, and how citizens should be encouraged to participate in recovery and renewal efforts
• Generate public interest in specific topics/recovery areas to encourage donations/funding for organisations that are working to create societal changes that reduce inequalities
• Local government and voluntary organisations can utilize the media to engage the government and public in societal changes that are crucial, through agenda setting, i.e. influencing public interest and the importance placed on certain topics through the deliberate coverage of certain topics/issues. Agenda setting has been found to influence public agendas, spending/funding generation and policies, with the media prompting policymakers to take action and satisfy the public's interest
• Generate funding by mobilising a local and national community of supporters

The tourism sector has been severely impacted by the measures to contain the spread of COVID-19. While measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 are likely to continue (e.g. overseas travel restrictions) as restrictions ease, there may be opportunities to pivot and drive additional demand for domestic tourism. Consider:

• Create domestic tourism profiles (e.g. Tourism Research Australia) that describe who visitors are, what they want to do, and where potential opportunities lie for different destinations to target and attract new domestic visitors:
  • When creating profiles, partner with tourism agencies that have expert knowledge on the needs and priorities of different demographics
  • Make the information publicly available, so that local governments and tourism businesses can work together to plan recovery and domestic tourism marketing strategies
• Appoint a local Culture and Tourism liaison, partner with local tourist operators and businesses, and initiate targeted programmes to attract domestic tourists to local areas
• Seek funding and resources to support the re-generation or renewal of local tourism and culture businesses (e.g. heritage sites), e.g. based on knowledge gained from domestic tourism profiles, identify what businesses can do and provide guidance and financial support for them to pivot their offering to maximise their trading potential
• Partner with transport providers (e.g. train operators) and offer discounted fares to encourage domestic travel over the summer months (in line with national COVID-19 guidelines)
• Engage with large corporations and companies to explore the potential of conference style events that bring teams together, in response to the shift towards remote working
• Create promotions, packages and experiences to attract and grow holidays linked to conference-style events, or people who are looking to work remotely in a holiday location (e.g. mid-week offers)

Previous issues of TMB have detailed Impact and Needs Assessments (Issue 8,15 and 32) to collect information about effects, impacts and opportunities from the crisis alongside pre-crisis needs. These can be used to create an overall understanding from which recovery and renewal strategies can be developed and actioned. TMB Issue 9discussed the recovery actions that can follow an Impact and Needs Assessment, such as recovering operations and preparedness. In light of the most recent lockdown and the updates that may be made to Impact and Needs Assessments, we revisit the discussion on what the next steps could be. Consider:

• Identify the effects, impacts and opportunities to inform the development of transactional recovery strategies and transformational renewal initiatives. For example, for the opportunity of 'enhancing community resilience; the local resilience capabilities that have been to active and effective during COVID-19';
  • Transactional recovery: Identify community initiatives that will deliver the strategic priorities of the recovery partnership, increase collaboration, assess the need to fund those using existing resources, and measure their impact on the partnership's performance
  • Transformational renewal: Repurpose community liaison officers to work with selected communities and foster connections, secure seed funding for their self-generated activities, and focus on rebalancing inequalities and other partnership aims
• Review each theme identified through the Impact and Needs Assessment in collaboration with relevant partners to assess the feasibility of achieving the desired effects
• Forecast the capacity and capabilities required to delivery on actions - draw on existing/recruit additional resources
• Identify the duration and effort required to establish and deliver actions
• Assess the impacts that may occur from pursuing recovery actions, compared with not pursuing them
• Specify data for monitoring and evaluating, for example:
  • Renewal objective: Increase capacity
  • Outcome indicator: Build community awareness and understanding of potential risks and impacts of emergencies
  • Measure: Proportion of people who understand warnings (tested through risk preparedness exercises with the community)

People have experienced different levels of isolation during the COVID-19 lockdowns. Many people will be enthusiastic about socialising again, but others may be nervous or anxious about resuming activities that they once took for granted, such as returning to shops or busy spaces. Having to process and remember new rules as restrictions ease may be an additional concern for people who are already feeling overwhelmed. Consider:

• Work with befriending services and community organisations to mobilise volunteer 'buddies' to help those who are feeling anxious about coming out of isolation. For example, buddies can:
  • Accompany people on their initial outings, perhaps starting with a walk down the street and working up to a trip to shop for food
  • Support those who are socially isolated for reasons other than 'vulnerability', e.g. they have recently moved into an area and have not established social networks
• Communicate directly with community members to help them understand their local restrictions as lockdown is relaxed, and the support that is available, e.g. through traditional media outlets, social media, or leaflets directly to people's homes
• Educating on how people can reduce their stress through self-care, e.g. breathing exercises, or signpost to support from mental health services (see TMB Issue 7)

Many local/town centre businesses will be micro- and small-medium enterprises (MSMEs) that have been severely impacted by the pandemic and lack internal resources to support recovery. In Pakistan, MSMEs contribute 40% to GDP and are critical to the economy, as they are in many other countries. In developing support strategies for local businesses and MSMEs, it is important to recognise that the pandemic has changed working practices and locations, and how we shop and entertain ourselves. Small businesses may not have the resources to access the type of data that can inform them on these potential changes to consumer habits, which in turn could impact trade levels as restrictions ease and these businesses re-open. Local governments can support them by facilitating access to this information. Consider:

• Build capacity of local government staff to undertake local economic assessments and develop small town regeneration and renewal plans (e.g. train staff to conduct economic impact assessments to identify businesses that may struggle post-lockdown and strategies that will support local economy recovery)
• Engage with local businesses, MSMEs and organisations that represent them (e.g.FSB UK) to draw on their perspectives and expertise when developing recovery and renewal plans
• Identify what has gone well in previous phases of re-opening, what could be improved and the support needs of these businesses (e.g. management of queues/health and safety measures to mitigate and contain the virus)
• Provide support grants to MSMEs for business regeneration or local marketing strategies to promote local businesses
• Conduct local and regional consumer habit surveys, in partnership with neighbouring local authorities, to identify the expectations of local consumers, and their potentially changed habits
• Communicate findings rapidly to local businesses so that they are informed and can prepare/pivot their businesses appropriately
• Develop an evidence-based local economic strategy that recognises changed consumer habits and demands, in partnership with local businesses
• Provide guidance to local businesses on how to adapt and where new business opportunities may lie (renewal)
• Signpost local businesses, particularly MSMEs, to training for digital skills and to advice on finance/investment in new technologies
• Develop a mechanism whereby local government can share lessons and knowledge between each other easily to learn from each other (e.g. collaborative 'light touch' impact assessments as described in Briefing A)

Strong collaboration between local government and their partners, communities and local businesses is required to anticipate challenges in the aftermath of COVID-19. Further, co-operation in the design of recovery strategies is critical to ensure communities are engaged and empowered in their recovery. Recovery strategies will need to be tailored to address the diversity of impacts and needs of different communities. Consider how to:

• Conduct an impact assessment to identify where COVID-19 has created effects, impacts and opportunities (see TMB 8) - and identify which of these impacts will bring longer-term challenges in recovery
• Refresh impact assessments with updated information as other effects, impacts and opportunities become known
• Identify other challenges that lie ahead as we progress to living with COVID
• Review what planning is required and what partnerships will support recovery:
  • Define recovery goals in partnership with the community and local organisations, and account for the need to measure progress and outcomes in the future
  • Plan for the need to adapt/pivot and establish new local resources, services and programmes to address pre-existing, new and emerging needs of communities, e.g. infrastructure planning to address housing supply challenges/employment programmes for young people
  • Maintain and enhance partnerships that have been developed through the pandemic, by bringing these partners together to co-produce plans and actions to address the new and emerging challenges
• Identify logistical and operational challenges that may occur as continuous management of the virus is required
• Review lessons from previous phases of track and trace/vaccination programmes, recognise the challenges, such as people not responding to track and trace or vaccine hesitancy, and prepare strategies to address these (see TMB 31)
• Manage the expectations of communities, to ensure that they understand that potential future outbreaks may mean restrictions may be re-introduced
• Review communication strategies for previous localised restrictions, consult with local partners on their effectiveness

Although measures to control the spread of the virus have had some positive environmental effects, such as decreases in global emissions of carbon dioxide, the use of single-use plastics has accelerated. For example, some schools have changed to using disposable cutlery during lunches due to COVID-19 restrictions; and bag use has increased to curb virus transmission. Furthermore, PPE waste has strained the capacity of waste management systems due to the complex composition of some PPE materials, making waste recycling a challenge. Consider:

• Address the challenges faced by waste management systems by including surge capacity and the environmental impact of waste in disaster management plans
• Prioritise reusable personal protective equipment
• Move from a linear to a circular economy to prevent products (including plastic) from becoming waste:
  • Introduce a phased ban on the use of all types of single-use plastic, e.g. via a tax on plastic packaging
  • Partner with organisations such as 'Recircle', to develop strategies to recycle rubber, a product that accounts for almost 10% of micro plastic waste found in the sea
• Commit to action at local levels, e.g. introduce a community single-use plastics policy and action plan:
  • Partner with local waste authorities, charities, community groups, schools, businesses and residents to create action plans and campaigns to reduce the use of single use plastic in the community, e.g. 'Good to know' posters in schools that provide fun facts on the benefits of re-cycling to increase awareness in young people
  • Collaborate with local water management authorities to install COVID-safe water fountains across the community, enabling free refills of water

The live music and entertainment industry has been heavily affected by the pandemic, with the majority of live events cancelled in 2020. A targeted contact tracing programme could enable the return of live entertainments events and keep the public safe, by identifying and containing a spread of the virus quickly. The contribution of the live entertainment industry to the economy is vast, and critical for GDP, generating employment and attracting tourism. Consider:

• Contact tracing as a targeted initiative to enable the return of live entertainment
• Scope costs of such an initiative and assess affordability:
  • Consider regional collaboration to lower costs
  • Seek funding or grant support, e.g. Arts Councils
• Establish and train a dedicated events contact tracing team to:
  • Provide contact tracing services
  • Develop educational materials for events companies, their employees, and customers
  • Provide on-site environmental health consulting to assist events businesses and venues in being COVID-safe
  • Support businesses in scheduling appointments at testing facilities
• Design an incentive and enforcement scheme to encourage commitment to a contact tracing programme and the implementation of COVID-19 safety measures
• Introduce an audit and certification programme to approve live events (see TMB Issue 28 for guidance on certification programmes)

Vaccination certification for COVID-19, sometimes referred to as immunity/vaccine passports, are being considered by some countries as a strategy to relax the strict measures that have been imposed on society over the last year. The document is designed to certify people as immune to COVID-19 based on vaccination. Consider the ethical issues associated with varying restrictions on individual liberties based on possession of a vaccine certificate. Consider:

• If a vaccination certification programme could cause unequal treatment of individuals by segregating members of society into different tiers of infection risk and contagiousness, for example:
  • Members of groups who live with systemic discrimination and marginalization may face more barriers to accessing particular areas of society or activities if they are not certified as vaccinated
  • Differences in exposure, access to health care and vaccination certification may lead to some groups having higher or lower proportions of vaccine-certified people
• If the application of vaccination certification should only be used with existing precautions and should not prevent non-vaccine certified people from accessing areas or activities, e.g. people who have not received a vaccination certificate should not be prevented from travelling but may be required to take a test/quarantine on arrival as per the existing precautionary measure
• Whether vaccinations certifications should:
  • Impact a person's ability to exercise fundamental rights such as voting, accessing and social care or education
  • Cause an increase in cost or burden for vaccine-certified individuals, e.g. frontline healthcare workers who are vaccination certified should not be expected to manage more work
• If the perceived benefits of vaccine certifications could increase the risk of people increasing their exposure to intentionally become infected and receive a certificate, which poses risks to an increase in community spread and could potentially cause harm to others
• The perceived value of vaccine certificates and counterfeit market activity/certificates
• How to mitigate implementation risks, e.g. certification being managed by certified bodies, results being processed and confirmed by licensed laboratories, and certificates being issued by health authorities
• To protect personal data and minimize breaches of confidentiality, legal and regulatory measures should be put in place to limit the access to data by governmental authorities

The success of the vaccine programme will, in part, depend on how many people accept the vaccine. The prevailing narrative in a country may influence those who are anxious about the vaccine or uncertain about whether they should have it. Often there are vocal groups in support of, and in opposition to, vaccines and those groups are already very active around COVID-19. Governments will be a main facilitator of vaccine programmes so (in collaboration with partners) should consider addressing voices that oppose vaccine programmes. WHO provides guidelines for responding to vaccine deniers, including broad principles for health authority spokespersons on how to behave when confronted. The principles are based on psychological research on persuasion, public health, communication studies, and on WHO risk communication guidelines. The WHO guidelines cover:

• Tactics by vocal vaccine deniers e.g. skew science, shift hypothesis, censor, and attack opposition
• Who is the target for advocating vaccines i.e. the public are your audience, not the vaccine deniers
• The speaker should represent the well-grounded scientific consensus
• Verbal and nonverbal skills, and listening skills
• Do's and don'ts of verbal and nonverbal communication
• Constructing the argument to support vaccination

COVID-19 is thought to spread through shared surface contact which has led to additional cleaning of public transport, public spaces, and other infrastructure. Pedestrian crossings have been targeted for improvement to avoid people having to press buttons and prevent groups of pedestrians forming as they wait to cross. For example, crossings have been reprogrammed to prioritise pedestrians or have been upgraded to touch-less systems to offer a more hygienic alternative to the standard push button. These measures prevent people from potentially contaminating their hands and encourage safe pedestrian behaviour by ensuring that those cautious of waiting near others and touching push buttons don't cross dangerously. Consider:

• Reprogramme traffic lights to prioritise pedestrians instead of road vehicles:
  • Change the traffic light default swap preference from vehicles to pedestrians - to reduce the time spent by groups of pedestrians at crossings
  • Minimise the impact of new measures on increased traffic congestion by using traffic detection technology
• Install touchless technology to replace buttons:
  • Assess pedestrian crossings to determine the number of touchless push buttons required
  • Scope costs from potential suppliers, and assess affordability
  • Partner with other interested authorities to conduct a trial, choosing locations where regular site inspection and user behaviour observation can be carried out
  • Using results from the trial, identify and allocate funding to road and transport authorities to install touch-less buttons
  • Identify the utilisation of pedestrian crossings and develop an installation priority list
  • Include a feedback sound in touchless technology to ensure ease of use for people with vision impairment and other disabilities
  • Raise public awareness by fixing infographic signage to pedestrian crossing poles that provide functionality and instructions

Regional imbalances have created varying levels of economic impact on local economies. Areas that relied heavily on tourism and sport/music events prior to the pandemic are suffering disproportionate levels of unemployment and loss of trade. Consider a targeted local economic recovery strategy to boost tourism post-pandemic in local economies that have been hit hardest:

• Develop new tourism packages and make them appropriate for post-pandemic tourism, e.g. taking into consideration the potential need for social distancing, for vaccination passports to travel, and for meeting expectations of COVID-safe measures that tourists will have
• Recognise the opportunity to renew approaches to local tourism by adopting a community-centred tourism framework:
  • Redefine and reorientate tourism based on the rights and interests of local communities and local people
  • Involve local businesses, tourism boards and the community in developing targeted strategies to rejuvenate local tourism, that are beneficial to the whole community and geographical area
  • Create partnerships with local businesses and the local tourism board to develop a collaborative marketing plan to attract tourism
• Support local businesses in gaining core health and safety certifications by offering advice on how to gain certification and who to go to for auditing and certification awards
• Work with community voluntary groups to gain certifications such as 'Blue Flag Beach/Tidy Towns' to promote environmental and quality standards that will assist in marketing your local area to potential tourists
• Prepare a targeted marketing strategy to promote local areas when tourism returns, which communicates how the health and safety of visitors is central
• Collaborate with national tourism organisations (e.g. Visit Britain) and large holiday companies to promote domestic tourism
• Provide advice and temporary financial support (e.g. moratoriums on council tax) for local businesses directly involved in tourism (e.g. guest houses, to support their short-term financial viability)

Interface management considers how to streamline communication, monitor progress and mitigate risks when working with multiple contractors, subcontractors, and clients. This is particularly important during COVID-19 where the government may set out its requirements in contracts, but the actual delivery of a service is done through third parties. One example where effective interface management failed was in the outsourcing of a security firm to supervise quarantined travellers in a hotel in Victoria, Australia. The firm were asked to undertake their 'normal' tasks monitoring movement, alongside biohazard containment which required extensive specialised training they did not have - ultimately leading to widespread transmission of COVID-19. Given the number of outsourced services (e.g. in transportation, security, and health), consideration should be given to the new ways in which service delivery and health merge:

• Evaluate what can reasonably be expected from a contractor given their expertise and resources and provide additional training or resources to ensure COVID-safe services are delivered
• Ensure agreements, resources and expectations for COVID-safe provision are discussed and understood by all parties involved in delivering a service e.g. from government to outsourced supply chains
• Evaluate the impacts of performance-based metrics for services against short and long-term risks to delivery and to health
• Consider who is responsible for 'regular risks' (e.g. costs, lateness and cancellations of services etc.) during COVID-19 and who should manage the public health risks -ensure regular updates are communicated amongst all parties to provide an informed approach of regular and COVID risk and where they converge

Primary health care workers providing care in remote areas have faced challenges during COVID-19 including inaccessibility to locales, poor hospital infrastructure and facilities, and meeting the needs of vulnerable communities. In Australia, remote health services also face challenges in maintaining adequate appointment and retention of healthcare workers. Consider how to protect remote healthcare staff and remote communities, for example:

• Be mindful of competition between remote and metropolitan areas for staff and resources during COVID-19
• Consider the reliance of remote health services' on short-term or fly-in, fly-out/drive-in, drive-out staff, and the increased risk of transmission into remote areas
• Ensure there are adequate point-of-care COVID-19 testing sites in remote communities to avoid unnecessary travel to centralised locations and to reduce delays in test results
• Consider distribution and storage challenges in maintaining adequate stocks of PPE. Remote health service may also benefit from stocks of hygiene products to distribute to community households through remote health services
• Ensure remote health services are meeting regularly with other essential services e.g. police, schools, and hospitals locally and regionally, to develop local plans for concurrent emergencies in isolated areas
• Ensure the availability of an adequate, appropriately trained local workforce, especially for outbreaks in healthcare buildings
• Consider heightened costs for accommodation for remote healthcare workers due to staffing constraints or COVID-related isolation
• Consider staff burnout due to impact of insufficient staff, frequent orientation of new staff, concerns about the clinical and cultural competency of incoming short-term staff and continuity of care

The outbreak of COVID-19 has resulted in countries closing their borders at short notice, and the suspension or severe curtailing of transport. These measures have implications for those who are not in their country of residence including those working, temporarily living, or holidaying abroad. At the time of the first outbreak, over 200,000 EU citizens were estimated to be stranded outside of the EU, and faced difficulties returning home[1].

As travel restrictions for work and holidays ease amidst the ongoing pandemic, but as the possibility of overnight changes to such easements, there is an increased need to consider how repatriations may be managed. This includes COVID-safe travel arrangements for returning citizens, the safety of staff, and the effective test and trace of those returning home. Facilitating the swift and safe repatriation of people via evacuation flights or ground transport requires multiple state and non-state actors. Significant attention has been given to the amazing efforts of commercial and chartered flights in repatriating citizens, but less focus has been paid to the important role that emergency services can play in supporting repatriation efforts.

In the US, air ambulance teams were deployed to support 39 flights, repatriating over 2,000 individuals. Air ambulance teams were able to supplement flights and reduced over reliance on commercial flights for repatriations (a critique of the UK response[2]). This required monumental effort from emergency service providers. After medical screening or treatment at specific facilities, emergency services (such as police) helped to escort people to their homes to ensure they had accurate public health information and that they understood they should self-isolate.

Authorities should consider how to work with emergency services to develop plans for COVID-19 travel scenarios, to better understand how to capitalise on and protect the capacity and resources of emergency services. Consider how to:

• Develop emergency plans that include a host of emergency service personnel who have technical expertise, and know their communities. Plans should[3]:
  • Be trained and practiced
  • Regularly incorporate best practices gained from previous lessons learned
• Build capacity in emergency services to support COVID-19 operations through increased staffing and resources
• Anticipate and plan for adequate rest periods for emergency service staff before they go back on call during an emergency period
• Protect emergency service staff. Pay special attention to safe removal and disposal of PPE to avoid contamination, including use of a trained observer[4] / “spotter”[5] who:
  • is vigilant in spotting defects in equipment;
  • is proactive in identifying upcoming risks;
  • follows the provided checklist, but focuses on the big picture;
  • is informative, supportive and well-paced in issuing instructions or advice;
  • always practices hand hygiene immediately after providing assistance

Consideration can also be given to what happens to repatriated citizens when they arrive in their country of origin. In Victoria (Australia), research determined that 99% of COVID-19 cases since the end of May could be traced to two hotels housing returning travellers in quarantine[6]. Lesson learnt from this case suggest the need to:

• Ensure clear and appropriate advice for any personnel involved in repatriation and subsequent quarantine of citizens
• Ensure training modules for personnel specifically relates to issues of repatriation and subsequent quarantine and is not generalised. Ensure training materials are overseen by experts and are up-to-date
• Strategically use law enforcement (and army personnel) to provide assistance to a locale when mandatory quarantine is required
• Be aware that some citizens being asked to quarantine may have competing priorities such as the need to provide financially.
• Consider how to understand these needs and provide localised assistance to ensure quarantine is not broken

References:

[1] https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2020/649359/EPRS_BRI(2020)649359_EN.pdf

[2] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-53561756

[3] https://ancile.tech/how-to-manage-repatriation-in-a-world-crisis/

[4] https://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/hcp/ppe-training/trained-observer/observer_01.html

[5] https://www.airmedicaljournal.com/article/S1067-991X(20)30076-6/fulltext

[6] https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/aug/18/hotel-quarantine-linked-to-99-of-victorias-covid-cases-inquiry-told

To read this case study in its original format follow the source link below to TMB Issue 21 (p.20-21)

To prepare for the impact of a natural disaster alongside COVID-19, research should focus on modelling natural hazards beside epidemiological risks. This can inform public health responses to manage, for example, the dual challenges of dealing with the effects of flooding and preventing localised COVID-19 outbreaks). Consider pre-emptive strategies to counter the compounded risks of COVID-19 and natural hazards:

• Identify possible pandemic-natural disaster hybrid scenarios including worst-case scenarios
• Work with multiple organisations to build new hybrid forecast models that combine existing pandemic projection models and natural hazard forecasting
• Consider seasonal weather forecasting models in advance and their impact on transmission and health and response capacity
• Re-design response plans to focus on COVID-19 restrictions e.g. impacts on emergency aid distribution, involvement of volunteers, access to PPE, providing shelter, food distribution
• Exercise the impact of concurrent emergencies to identify key learning and integrate that learning refreshing plans in the light of COVID-19

In Melbourne (Australia), residents of a tower block on hard lockdown put together an information sheet for the predominantly non-English speaking community to explain the government's measures. The information sheet was translated into ten written, and five oral languages within 24 hours. The information sheet was then distributed among residents within the tower via text and WhatsApp and to community networks to help disseminate government messaging to communities more widely. Consider:

• Assessing whether your organisation has information translated sufficiently for the communities it interacts with
• How to effectively disseminate information to marginalised communities, and the networks most adept at doing this
• How to engage with networks that can access marginalised people in their communities, through religious or social networks to assess if needs are being met and if information is being received and understood
• The efficiency of utilising community networks to identify different languages and cultures, and their proficiency in translating key public health messages

In Pune, an 'Action Plan for Hotspot Areas' was developed in which the local police force supported implementation of contact tracing and wide-spread testing, water and sanitation support, food and shelter planning and public awareness. Teams carried out local door-to-door check-ups of all households in the hotspot areas. Consider how to take public health interventions and information into the community:

• Establish dedicated COVID care booths in hotspot areas
• Allot dedicated ambulances in case serious cases are detected
• Designate, specific localised teams within the hotspot area, including police, medical staff and community engagement officers to conduct thorough, localised door-to-door check-ups of all households in the hotspot areas (including virus testing)
• Use teams to distribute medication to those who need it, and to provide discharge public health packages. These may include:
  • A packet of masks
  • Sanitizer
  • Soap
  • Cleaning products
• Ensure comprehensive medical, nutritional, and psycho-social care for those identified as COVID-19 positive
• To maximise identification of cases, adopt standardized systems for testing

Reference: representative of the Australian Department of Justice and Community Safety

Including gender-inclusive perspectives can address gender inequalities in health outcomes, the economy and wider society. For example, in the EU, women make up: 93% of child care workers; 86% of personal care workers in health services; and 95% of domestic cleaners (https://eige.europa.eu/covid-19-and-gender-equality/frontline-workers). This exposes women to the virus, heighten the potential of poverty and mental health issues as these jobs are undervalued, precarious, and underpaid. Women also bear an unequal burden in unpaid household labour which can undermine access to paid employment. There is a need to assess the implications of COVID-19 policies to ensure gendered experiences are recognised and addressed. Consider:

• The level of exposure of genders to COVID-19 due to gender segregation in the labour market
• The increased risks to occupational health and well-being of women in caring professions
• Increased consultation with, and inclusion of, women in decision-making during crises
• Working with community/religious leaders to promote caregiving/caretaking as everyone's responsibility
• How gender-balanced teams can provide treatment or support for mental health and well-being
• Innovating to mitigate other social issues such as gender based violence
• Offering guidance on domestic violence into existing services e.g. give volunteers, who provide other services, information on victim support
• Educating organisations about the heighten risk of gender based violence since COVID-19 so that they can be part of safeguarding women and girls

Cognitive bias affect how events are remembered and how people behave, so can influence decision-making that can impact recovery. For example, not showing symptoms of COVID-19 may lead people to think that they are immune or won't infect others. Other cognitive bias is related to people's selectivity about what they pay attention to and so what they do in response to public health advice. Cognitive bias may be mitigated by:

• Communicating testimonials and stories to challenge thinking about practices that are safe and unsafe
• Sharing transparent and consistent information across all platforms to reduce misinformation and distrust
• Providing easy to find information through mechanisms such as Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) to reduce ambiguity

Providing information that supports collective action so people feel they are part of solving the problem

This lesson was contributed by a Risk Manager in Australia during project data collection.

In Australia, local government are undertaking capability gap assessments to identify sectors that lack enough skilled personnel to undertake recovery projects. In New Zealand, the government is focusing on the role of the construction industry in positively impacting the economy and are implementing programmes to upskill trades people in preparation for building works. In addition, both countries are reinstating apprenticeships in vocational jobs such as construction, plumbing and electrical work to support young people, and short/long-term economic regeneration.

Such issues include loneliness and anxiety about returning to the outside world and recovering from the physical impacts of the disease. Consider:

• Maintain coordinating arrangements with the charity and non-profit sector to support those suffering with physical and mental health impacts of COVID-19
• Share information about vulnerable populations with non-profit and the charity sector where they have permission so that they are able to offer appropriate support
• Retain communication channels such as hotlines to facilitate community engagement
• The needs of those who have survived COVID-19, thinking of the mental health impacts such as fear of going outside, and physical impacts such as organ scarring, impaired vision and mobility, which may require ongoing support

This lesson was contributed by a representative of the Social Welfare Department in Portugal and UNDRR City Resilience Stories Australia during project data collection.

For example, the CovidSafe App in Australia:

• Alarmed and confused users with a message saying they had coronavirus, despite not being tested
• Suffered from hoaxes and phishing scams to retrieve people's personal information. For example, a text to users claiming to be from the government purported a new coronavirus contact-tracing app

This could include:

• Retrofitting programmes to make buildings more energy-efficient
• Mass tree planting
• Investment in solar and wind power
• Building infrastructure required for increased consumption and use of electric cars such as improved electricity networks, and public and personal capacity for charging stations

Additionally, due to lockdown these measures may not be as disruptive to people's daily lives compared to, for example, offices being retrofitted while in constant use.

This lesson was conributed to by Chief Resilience Officers in Italy and Australia during project data collection, along with the source link below.

Government may consider an industry-led recovery that draws on close partnerships with industry leaders to re-evaluate local, regional and national legislation on business applications to facilitate recovery. This may include making applications for businesses easier, easing legislation and increased legal support for businesses to expedite business renewal.

This lesson was contributed by a Risk Manager in Australia during project data collection.

In Australia, the Victorian Government has set up a dedicated taskforce to energise the state's building and development industry as it continues running throughout the COVID-19 crisis. Government announced the approval of four new projects worth more than $1.5 billion dollars that will continue to function throughout pandemic shutdowns and economic recovery period.

This lesson was contributed by a Chief Resilience Officer in Australia during project data collection.

There have been a range of incident types against key workers, so:

• Ensure deliberate coughing and spitting is addressed in official policy such as the UK Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act
• Patrol areas in which key workers work to provide protection from assault and mugging as a result of workers' association with COVID-19 response, and assumptions that some workers have access to medicine and food
• Release official statements from law enforcers to the public to bring attacks on key workers to light. Use the opportunity to fact-check claims which may appear on social media such as the one claiming that an Italian doctor had been charged with killing over 3,000 COVID-19 patients

Actively investigate hoax messages purportedly from official Government sources that could put key workers at risk

Scammers impersonate government agencies providing information on COVID-19 through text messages and emails 'phishing' for your information. These contain malicious links and attachments designed to steal your personal and financial information. Provide examples of what to look for on a dedicate website such as: Scamwatch (https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/types-of-scams/current-covid-19-coronavirus-scams).

Communicate tips to the public such as:

• Do not click on hyperlinks in text/social media messages or emails, even if it appears to come from a trusted source
• Go directly to the website through your browser. For example, to reach the MyGov website type 'my.gov.au' into your browser yourself
• Never respond to unsolicited messages and calls that ask for personal or financial details, even if they claim to be a from a reputable organisation or government authority - just press delete or hang up

By circulating through social media, encrypted messaging services, online discussion boards and face to face interaction. To achieve this, organisations might consider:

• Identifying fake news and actively debunking it on own social media accounts and public display boards
• Closely monitor automated systems for errors. In Australia the CovidSafe App alarmed and confused users with a message telling them that they had contracted coronavirus when trying to upload their information, despite not being tested. Additionally, in Ukraine, residents attacked busses with evacuees from China after a hoax email falsely attributed to the Ministry of Health suggested some carried the virus
• Supporting the public to think critically about, question and fact-check information they receive
• Working with community leaders to circulate useful, accurate information
• Monitoring and evaluating the impact of their own communication strategy, possibly working with partners such as universities to undertake social media analytics

In Australia there is a highly organised and well-tested communications system that utilises standard emergency communications procedures used for other disasters such as forest fires. Australian risk managers highlighted two issues which may be useful for others.

In order to deliver efficient and effective communication during an emergency, an understanding of how the public perceives and receives this information; awareness of cognitive bias , which shapes the way people understand the information provided to them, is needed[1]. Cognitive bias impacts decision-making as a result of how events are remembered by individuals and influences behaviours that can impact recovery. For example, not showing symptoms of COVID-19 and therefore believing you are immune or won’t infect others. Other cognitive bias is related to people’s selectivity about what they pay attention to which has implications for retaining and enacting public health advice. This may be mitigated by:

• Communicating testimonials and stories to challenge peoples thinking about practices that are safe and unsafe
• Sharing transparent and consistent information across all platforms to reduce misinformation and distrust
• Providing easy to find information through mechanisms such as Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) to reduce ambiguity
• Providing information that supports collective action towards a solution so people feel they are part of solving the problem and understand that change is required

To addresses some of these biases, health messaging experts in Australia called for:

• Effective use of television streaming services, social media and news services, rather than use of posters that had unclear messages and images
• More effective communications from politicians that answer questions in snappy sentences rather than long answers where people become confused or lose interest, and consistent slogans like Australia’s ‘Help stop the spread and stay healthy’.
• Engaging and emotive video advertising that highlight the impact individual’s actions can have on others such as their loved ones[2]

In addition, trust and transparency were seen as important. This requires:

• Openness about data collection and the source of that data
• Information that is shared in a “fearless and transparent” [3] way to provide open, real-time information. This was also seen in Korea and was attributed to them swiftly and successfully flattening the curve[4].
• Government to consistently share information to media outlets, and for media outlets to responsibly use verified information to reduce public speculation[5].
• Use of known and trusted mechanisms for the public to access information[6], such as those already set up in Australia for disasters
  

References:

[1] Risk Manager 1

[2] https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/mar/24/australia-is-crying-out-for-clearer-messaging-on-coronavirus-rambling-politicians-told

[3] Risk Manager 1

[4] Nature. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00740-y

[5] Risk Manager 1

[6] Risk Manager 2

The original format of this case study (including references) can be read in the source link below (p.15).

To get important development done, stimulate the economy, take advantage of quieter city centres, and save jobs.

Reference: Chief Resilience Officers in Greece, Australia and Mexico