Recovery, Renewal, Resilience

COVID-19 has dominated news, media, and local and national government communications for the best part of a year since the pandemic began. One study found that excessive media use was associated with negative psychological outcomes, such as anxiety and stress. Positivity can aid stress management and reduce levels of anxiety/depression. Consider:

• Demonstrate that there is a world outside of COVID-19 by communicating positive stories unrelated to COVID-19
• Encourage more positive COVID-19 stories to come through, for example:
  • Create a local news special that celebrates the effort of local volunteers or local government during the pandemic
• Use communication channels (e.g. social media/newsletters) to communicate positive stories:
  • Invite local community members to share positive news and stories that can be shared and promoted through these channels
  • Invite school children to draw and write positive messages and hang them on the trees/fences of local parks/buildings
  • Encourage people to take regular breaks from consumption of COVID-19 news (signpost to community groups that may be running weekly bingo/quizzes online)
• Create a call-to-action for local volunteers and begin inviting the community to take part in and create new positive local initiatives that are focused on recovery and renewal from COVID-19

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

As the roll out of the COVID-19 vaccine gains pace, there has been reporting of a rise in criminal activity targeting people who await information about their vaccine. Examples of how fraudsters are exploiting the vaccine launch includes: scam text messages that request personal information such as bank details; fraudsters turning up at peoples' houses posing as National Health Service employees and offering vaccination for immediate payment. Fraud undermines public confidence in official programmes and contribute to a negative narrative around the vaccine programme. Consider public messaging to:

• Use a range of communication channels to build public awareness of fraudsters' tactics to encourage vigilance regarding vaccination communications
• Ensure communications about fraud awareness are available in different languages and different media e.g. to support migrants or support people with disabilities such as via informational videos: https://signhealth.org.uk/resources/coronavirus/
• Publish a list official government and health websites/social media channels that are authorised to provide official information on the vaccine
• Include in fraud communications information on the ways in which people will be invited for an official vaccine, and ways that they will not be invited
• Identify partnering organisations that can distribute messages about vaccine fraud e.g. organisations that run befriending schemes, check-in and chat services, vaccination partners
• Disseminate consistent information to these partnering organisations to advise them of how to provide information about fraud without concerning people about the safety of the vaccine itself

The transfer of diseases such as COVID-19, avian influenza and swine flu can occur in agriculture and food production sectors. This can be facilitated by the rapid industrialization of meat production and poor biosecurity. Consider:

• increased monitoring of agricultural production as 'big farms create big flu'
• careful monitoring of wild animal sales; simply banning such practices may only drive markets underground and reduce visibility
• disease mitigation measures on farming practices of vulnerable populations. In the avian influenza outbreak, poultry from 'backyard chicken' producers were slaughtered compulsorily in huge numbers which caused devastating impacts on livelihoods across southeast Asia
• affordable measures for smaller farmers to meet food and agricultural standards, and consideration that if you remove their livelihoods, they will likely become more susceptible to current disease or new zoonotic diseases as a result of wild animal sale or consumption

In China, all major stores have provided discount vouchers to consumers that are readily available on a commonly used App. QR discount codes are also readily on display in many shop windows so customers can scan the code and receive a discount in store. The government is encouraging stores to offer large discounts to consumers.

This lesson was contributed by an International Engagement Officer based on China during project data collection.

Research in Denmark and China demonstrated that women were more adversely psychologically impacted by COVID-19 than men. In China, survey respondents demonstrated evidence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) Consider:

• Mental health services that are tailored for different genders to accommodate a safe space to discuss needs
• Ensuring increased access to mental health services through online systems and telephone calls
• Hand hygiene, mask-wearing and confidence in doctors have been observed to reduce psychological impact

The impact of school closures, especially nursery and primary schools, carries high social and economic costs as learning is interrupted, parents are unprepared for home schooling and for the impacts this has on childcare. Working parents may have no choice but to leave children alone when they have to work, or to miss work to take care of their children. This can impact child nutrition, social isolation and increase children's exposure to violence and exploitation. Schools in Denmark, China, Korea and Taiwan, have begun to open. In Korea, the government has incorporated the concept of digital classrooms into current educational legislation to develop a 'future-orientated' approach to online education.

A number of measures for adjusting the school day have been identified:

• Consider staggering the school day so children arrive in different time blocks. In Demark the start and end of the school day is split into three 15-minute windows, and the day finishes at 2pm to reduce risk of new rules feeling oppressive. This helps reduce crowding at the school gates
• Parents are not allowed inside the building and must collect their children at outside while observing social distancing rules- consider marking lines, and creating one-way systems for parents to collect children in playgrounds
• Consider rotating year groups into schools for a week at a time
• Consider changes to lesson delivery e.g. restrict movement of teachers one teacher per class. Consider how this may impact which classes teachers will need to deliver and how this can be effectively timetabled. Also consider making class sizes smaller by splitting classes in two and have taught rotas between staff
• Limit handling of children's books through increased self-marking activities
• Provide allocated desks to each child with social distancing requirements in place. Be pragmatic and realistic about how to ensure social distancing when children are not at their desks, e.g. how they will traverse corridors or stairways, how to manage behaviour at break times
• Consider reducing creative activities such as art, and 'carpet time' for primary school children. Or requesting personal supplies i.e. scissors or paintbrushes are brought in. Consider how creative classes can be taken outdoors to make learning fun, and safer
• Stagger lunch breaks and class times to avoid the risk of too many people moving through the school at one time

Alongside restructuring the school day, re-opening of schools requires attention to infrastructure. This may include:

• Installing additional handwashing facilities so children have to wash hands before entering school and then throughout the day - in Denmark children wash their hands six to eight times a day
• Measure temperatures before students are allowed on site. In China some schools have installed a system at the entrance of the school to record temperatures. Any person displaying a temperature above 37.3 degrees is taken for further temperature checks
• Installing hand sanitisation stations and bins for discarded masks in and around the school site. China also has isolation areas should anyone be taken ill during the course of the day
• Utilising additional buildings such as church halls or community centres if the school does not have the required space to maintain social distancing and its cohort of students
• Accounting for reduced workforce availability due to illness, and PPE requirements

There is an urgency to return pupils to schools to support their health and well-being and to relieve pressures on working families who may be experiencing increased financial hardship as a result of having children at home. It is important that robust scientific evidence is used to make such decisions; a study from Germany found children were as likely to spread coronavirus as adults which suggests caution is required. However, lessons from Denmark, China and Taiwan could provide useful insights into practical adaptation and innovation to support a safe return to school.

To read this case study in its original format with references etc., follow the source link to TMB Issue 7 p.16-17.

In China, where SMEs make up 80% of Chinese businesses, the following measures were adopted to encourage recovery:

• SMEs were exempt from social security contributions, tax payments, and social insurance schemes for up to 5 months. Social insurance schemes include pension payments and employment injury payments
• Government provided procurement opportunities
• Utility fees and rent from the state were waived
• Help was provided to migrant workers as SMEs often rely on their labour. Government organised door-to-door transportation from workers' homes to their work, and job matching and job searching tools were developed to help those out of work find employment in struggling businesses

This lesson was contributed by a Global Development Expert in China during project data collection.

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

Consider the following for recovery in your workplace:

• Establish a business response and continuity office
• Confirm critical roles and backup plans
• Evaluate the actual work of your company and how it might be changed
• Understand what work is mission-critical and what can be deferred or deprioritized
• Prepare your worksite for containment and contamination
• Update travel and meeting protocols
• Review your social media policy and guidelines
• Consider the sources of 'news' and information in the workplace

While volunteers can help bolster these provisions, local government should be wary of levels of training, qualification and experience to reduce poor services and inefficient use of resources.

Local government should assess the health seeking behaviours of certain populations within their community. Health seeking behaviours will impact the success of disease suppression as behaviours impact access and understanding of public health measures (lessons from influenza A/H5N1 and 'swine influenza' A/H1N1).

Local government should identify strategies to tackle spikes in gender based violence as a result of isolation, social distancing and quarantine measures. They should consider requirements for increased social and legal support for elongated/reoccurring lockdowns, and holistic partnerships with the voluntary sector to support and protect those at risk and educate both men and women.

References: Professor from the International Center for Collaborative Research on Disaster Risk Reduction; Hospital Executive; Chief Resilience Officer; UK Local Resilience Forum