Recovery, Renewal, Resilience

Data management and risk communications have been in a constant process of adaptation throughout the pandemic. The United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) has released a summary of the main challenges and learnings for public administrators who manage data and communicate risk across Central America. ECLAC has identified digital government as an essential feature for public administration and disaster management. Consider their recommendations to strengthen the processes run by local government offices during the recovery phase.

Lessons for digital government

• Increase the role and use of Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) in governmental procedures and processes
• Coordinate, through those ICTs, databases across different offices and Ministries, and levels of government
• Invest in the digitalization of society, from schools to public offices, to investment in infrastructure and subsidies for equipment
• Integrate society into a feedback loop of communication through digital tools, as a measure of accountability and as a constant process of evaluation of services

Examples from Central America

• Establish “home office” schemes for government employees during the response and recovery of COVID-19
• Use ICTs to centralize information about the spread of COVID-19 and the amount of resources available across hospitals and clinics. Apps could also be useful to communicate risk to the public and provide medical appointments through video calls
• Use communication apps (e.g. WhatsApp), to continue online classes during the recovery phase, or as part of hybrid, combined online and face-to-face schemes
• Make public procedures accessible through online platforms, so that people do not need to visit public offices during the recovery phase

Challenges to address digital governance

• Integrate digitalization of public services into the wider public agenda
• Identify available infrastructure/resources that are available. Identify new resources needed
• Involve communities in the process of digitalization and government evaluation (see TMB Issue 38 on co-production)
• Generate strategies to support inter-organizational cooperation
• See also TMB Issue 37 Briefing A on risk communications as part of the local resilience capability.

We discussed co-production in TMB Issue 33 and detailed three barriers to co-production during COVID: Pace, Distance and Complexity. The Centre for Loneliness Studies recently developed a toolkit for co-production organised around a cycle of: "Co-commissioning; Co-design; Co-delivery and Co-evaluation/co-governance". This toolkit supports those who want to begin a journey of co-production. It is based on research on co-production with older people who experienced isolation and loneliness. The principles are transferable and useful to anyone thinking about how to do co-production. Consider:

• That co-production can apply to a broad range of contexts (e.g. co-producing service delivery for a city/region/on a national level or co-producing care delivery for an individual). Depending on the context, those involved should agree on what co-production means based on their context. This can be done by:
  • Define what co-production means e.g. to your organisation/to the group of people delivering a service/to those using a service
  • Agree a statement about what co-production means, to manage expectations and provide clarity on the direction of co-production activities
• Understand individual and group co-production values. This can help to direct work and activities and influence decision-making
• Empower each person involved by working "with people rather than for them"
• Promote equality, e.g. use the term 'stakeholders' to describe all of those involved in co-production to position all participants on an equal footing
• Seek to understand and make use of the skills, knowledge and experience of all stakeholders
• Ensure a diverse group of stakeholders are involved in co-production by considering:
  • Which stakeholders should be involved? (including those who represent current and potential future users of services)
  • What skills, experience, knowledge and resources are required to support co-production? (e.g. conduct an asset mapping exercise to understand needs)
  • How best to ensure a wide variety of stakeholders are included?
  • What resources might stakeholders require to keep them engaged?
• How to fairly share power and influence for co-production, e.g. hold regular deliberation meetings so that all stakeholders are heard, use voting systems, and feedback questionnaires
• Following each phase of the cycle:
  • Reflect on the experiences of each stakeholder and achievements of the group
  • Explore what worked well, the challenges that presented and how learning can be applied in future cycles of co-production
  • Identify any skills, knowledge, experience or strengths the group and co-production process could gain from and how to bring those into the process in the future

Risk communications as part of the Local Resilience Capability is our focus in this briefing. We explore the communication of risk before and during emergencies, and identify how two-way communications are central to local resilience capabilities. Follow the source link below to TMB Issue 37 (p.3-6).

The complexity of COVID-19 has meant that the risks have often been difficult to predict and understand, thus creating uncertainty and a challenge for those responsible for public risk communications. "When scientific uncertainty appears in public settings, it could reduce the perceived authority of science" (Zehr, p.11). Effective communication of uncertainty is essential, to ensure that individuals and communities are well-informed, are better able to make decisions about their well-being and respond to/mitigate the impacts of risk. Consider:

• Create a visualization of risk, to generate a deeper and more relevant understanding of the facts and insights often concealed in abstract data, e.g.; 'The risk characterisation theatre', a visualisation approach using a seating chart (like those used when booking seats in a theatre) which "visually displays risk by obscuring a share of seats that correspond to the risk" (see example below)
• This approach generates a visual of the likelihood of the risk, and enables a visual communication of rare risks that are often challenging to represent and communicate effectively
• This approach also enables an individual to relate a risk with a level and within a context that they can naturally associate to. By not stating exact figures, this approach tackles the "big issue" of uncertainty in risk
• Other examples of visualizations of risk include; displaying the impact of "long COVID" as places in a bus, e.g. "a figure such as 22% of patients discharged from hospital after COVID-19 reporting hair loss could be depicted as 11 individuals on a bus full of 50 people who have left hospital after receiving care for the virus". This is a scenario that anyone familiar with a bus can easily imagine. The data becomes immediately less abstract.

You can view a visualization of this concept in the last page of this article here..

Reference: Rifkin, E. and Bouwer, E. (2007) The Illusion of Certainty: Health Benefits and Risks. Boston, MA: Springer US.

Effective risk communication is central to public health risk management, so that people can make informed decisions and take the correct actions to "prevent, mitigate and recover from emergencies". It enables real-time access to, and exchange of, reliable information. However, the sheer scale and pace of COVID-19 led to an uncoordinated overload of sometimes inconsistent information, so people were unsure about the severity of risk, and therefore behaved according to their individual perception. There has also been a surge of misinformation throughout the pandemic, which has undermined national and local health responses globally.

Consider:

• A review of risk communication strategies employed during the pandemic, to identify what worked and what could be improved for future emergencies
• Build risk communication capacity by appointing dedicated risk communicators at national and local levels, to maintain consistency in communications and develop a sense of familiarity among the public, which can build trust
• Identify the stakeholders in disseminating risk information (e.g. media) and assess the strength of the relationships with stakeholders. Identify how collaboration and coordination can be enhanced so that the information disseminated is ‘timely, accurate and transparent’
• Tailor risk communications to the specific risk and needs of diverse communities
• Engage with the community to co-develop risk communication support structures and establish accountability of community members for required behavioural change
• Use social media to track (through data analytics) and counter misinformation, and develop a narrative of solidarity through crisis (UN Sri Lanka)
• Establish a central risk management coordination platform that consolidates risk information and forecasts other potential risks (e.g. concurrent emergencies such as severe flooding). This can enhance capacities and capabilities to provide strategic interventions, and minimize further social and economic impacts (Dominican Republic)
• Acknowledge and communicate uncertainty in clear and unambiguous language to avoid misinterpretation, e.g. use scientific evidence to estimate the likelihood of COVID-19 case resurgence as precisely as possible, and avoid language such as ‘probably/possibly’
• Regularly gauge and monitor the public perception of risk, through surveys and consultations with public bodies such as police, to inform timely action to prevent lax or panicked behaviour
• Evaluate and update risk communications regularly to account for developments (e.g. vaccination)

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

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

The 2021 UK Census offers a unique opportunity to increase our long-term understanding of the health, social and economic impacts of COVID-19 on different communities. In due course, local government can use the insight that the Census provides to plan and provide funding for services that will be critical in recovery and renewal, such as changes in housing, education and healthcare. Grassroots organisations, charities and businesses can also use this information to inform their future work and to secure funding. Consider:

• A targeted and localised communications campaign that highlights issues that are relevant for local people in their community:
  • Engage local community members/groups that may have influence and knowledge on the priorities of specific communities to inform communications and support the encouragement of people to take part
• Partner with organisations that work with different communities to promote the value and benefits that the information gained through the Census will bring
• Tailor communications and ensure that the value and benefits detailed are relevant to particular groups (e.g. people with disabilities, ethnic communities)
• Develop a variety of resources that support people to take part, for example:
  • Create a variety of resources (e.g. animation films) that explain how to complete the Census and where people can get support with filling out the Census form, signpost people to organisations that can help
• Ensure all resources are accessible in terms of language and consider access needs of people with disabilities

Many people, particularly those shielding, may be anxious about having annual servicing and repairs done to their homes, property or possessions e.g. cars, bicycles. Thus, they may delay routine maintenance and servicing of gas and electric appliances, vehicles, etc. or be encouraged to personally attempt maintenance or repair that they are not skilled to safely complete. This may put them, and others, at risk. Consider:

• Communicating the importance of annual servicing, repairs and maintenance in keeping people safe, including:
  • Encourage residents to check the expiry of, and keep up to date with, servicing, maintenance and repairs to avoid the risks of faulty boilers, for example
  • Signpost residents to safe working conditions that customers may expect of local organisations when they work in people’s homes
  • Encourage local organisations to detail the COVID-safe work practices that they have in place
• When restrictions ease, there may be a rush for maintenance and repair services, (e.g. roadworthiness/vehicle testing and servicing), which may cause a backlog or delay in service delivery:
  • Remind residents and encourage them to check when they are required to renew their MOT – the UK introduced a 6 month extension for vehicle roadworthiness (MOT) certificates in the first lockdown as garages were forced to close, so this will have disrupted normal scheduling
• Those who may be struggling financially due to the pandemic may be concerned about the affordability of maintenance and servicing:
  • Remind residents that keeping up to date with annual services can prevent future maintenance that may cost more to repair/replace
  • Signpost residents to financial advisory services (see TMB 30)

Due to lockdown measures and temporary breaks to in-person public service provision, communicating specific information to migrants and refugees on their rights and obligations has been challenging. This includes communications on re-settlement programmes to support their integration into communities (see TMB Issue 29 for guidance on national resettlement programmes). Some countries have introduced temporary policy changes and targeted communication of such changes is crucial so that migrants are aware of the essential services that are available to them during the pandemic, e.g. Spain suspended the obligation to have valid documents in order to access essential public services such as healthcare and vaccination. National information strategies can be complemented locally by reaching out directly to migrants living in communities. Consider:

• Identify and establish contact with the leaders of refugee and migrant groups to communicate important messages
• Collaborate with migration support services, NGOs and local volunteers to develop a targeted online communications platform for migrants and refugees, e.g. “Migration Information Hub”, Leeds City Council, UK
  • Use the platform to inform migrants about COVID-19 related issues and guidelines; access to health care, food, housing, work rights, visa status, signpost immigration services and detail any changes to policy measures
  • Ensure alternative communication strategies are explored, such as information leaflets through migrations support services reach those who do not have access to the internet
  • Provide information on how victims of discrimination can get help and support
• Collect further data and information on reaching specific groups through consultation with the relevant communities, to improve future preparedness for crisis communication with migrants and their families
• Ensure easy access to information by translating key material into the languages of migrant communities:
  • Recruit translation volunteers to support the translation of information and development of multilingual media for the platform, e.g. YouTube videos
• Organise free workshops for migrants and refugees via Zoom, e.g. ‘How to access health services’, to inform on free services, including mental health facilities
• Develop and deliver targeted communication strategies to influence communities’ perceptions of migrants, working with local community leaders and groups, and organisations that support and advocate for migrants:
  • Tackle and counter misinformation online to prevent prejudice against migrants and mitigate the negative impact of the health crisis on immigrant integration
  • Set up a social media campaign that directly addresses the prevention of discrimination and spread of misinformation, e.g. “Somos Panas", Columbia
• Invite the public to help counter the spread of misinformation by sharing fact-based information with their own communities

As COVID-19 vaccine delivery programmes gain pace, attention has turned to vaccine hesitancy and the associated challenges to achieving optimal vaccination goals[1]. Public hesitancy has developed as people are anxious and uncertain about the safety and regulation of the vaccine[2]. Vaccination hesitancy has been found to relate to the public perception of risk, connected to two factors:

• The risk of morbidity or mortality
• Elements of an event that cause fear, worry, mistrust or upset to the public[3]

Recent studies have identified three predominant groups that are at higher risk of COVID-19 vaccine refusal, requiring targeted strategies and communications to address their concerns and hesitancy:

• Women aged 30-39[4]
• Low-income groups[5]
• Socioeconomically disadvantaged groups and BAME communities[6]

Potential causes of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy:

• The speed at which the available COVID-19 vaccines were produced and approved may lead to scepticism or mistrust relating to their benefit, effectiveness and long-term side effects[7]
• Pregnant women were not included in the majority of COVID-19 clinical trials, so there was little data available to evaluate vaccine safety relating to fertility, pregnancy and young children[8]
• Misinformation through social media and the challenges caused by the anti-vaccination movement in developing and communicating scientific expertise and building public trust in the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines[9]

Strategies to address vaccine hesitancy

Although the WHO advise that there is no specific reason for risks that would outweigh the benefits for pregnant women in some vaccines[10], the inclusion of pregnant women in COVID-19 therapeutic trials is crucial to ensure the identification of efficacious and safe treatment[11]. The Behavioural Science and Public Health Network[12] and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control[13] offer the following recommendations to address COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy:

• Increase trust and confidence in the safety and effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine by:
• Clearly communicating its rigorous development and testing process
• Provide details of the COVID-19 development and testing process, highlighting the way in which the same rigour has been applied for previous vaccines
• Train health care workers to respond to hesitant patients, e.g. their common concerns, addressing those concerns
• Design community-level interventions to target high risk vaccine refusal groups by supporting the development of community networks:
• Leverage and support existing channels that have influence on decision making, such as; community and faith leaders of ethnic minority and low-income communities; teachers and youth/sport club leaders who interact with the parents of young children; online communities and networks[14], e.g. Mumsnet
• Establish community educational and promotional activities to inform on the safety and benefits of vaccination (via talks, videos, presentations and discussions)
• Launch advocacy campaigns supported by community members to promote vaccine safety and counter anti-vaccination messages, to mitigate the prevalence of misinformation in BAME communities[15]
• Establish an on-line decision aid for parents
• Use information from trusted health agencies to produce online information and vaccine information pamphlets for pregnant women and new mothers:
• Detail different vaccines in full, relative to their available safety data, to ensure women can make a factually informed decision
• Raise awareness of online information and disseminate pamphlets

References:

[1] https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanepe/article/PIIS2666-7762(20)30016-8/fulltext

[2] https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/sites/portal/files/documents/Catalogue-interventions-vaccine-hesitancy.pdf

[3] https://oxfordmedicine.com/page/measles%20and%20the%20hesitancy%20to%20vaccinate/measles-and-the-hesitancy-to-vaccinate

[4] https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/covid-19-vaccine-advertising-campaign-to-target-specific-fears-20210109-p56svi.html

[5] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666776220300120?via%3Dihub

[6] file:///C:/Users/r66633rj/Downloads/COVIDvaccinePaper4.pdf

[7] https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/science-blog/covid-19-vaccine-hesitancy-uk#

[8] https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X(20)30484-8/fulltext

[9] https://www.bma.org.uk/news-and-opinion/pushing-back-tackling-the-anti-vax-movement

[10] https://www.who.int/news-room/feature-stories/detail/the-moderna-covid-19-mrna-1273-vaccine-what-you-need-to-know

[11] https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X(20)30484-8/fulltext

[12] https://www.bsphn.org.uk/_data/site/54/pg/675/COVID-19-Vaccination-Reducing-Vaccine-Hesitancy.pdf

[13] https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/sites/portal/files/documents/Catalogue-interventions-vaccine-hesitancy.pdf

[14] https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)32642-8/fulltext

[15] https://socialcare.blog.gov.uk/2021/01/27/overcoming-vaccine-hesitancy-in-our-diverse-communities/

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

There have been well-documented breaches of the COVID-19 rules in, for example, workplaces, shops, public spaces. This has caused frustration and resentment, and made front-line staff question their perceived value and sacrifice. Current enforcement of the rules is led by the authorities, but there is potential for the public to report breaches via whistleblowing apps, which may help to target official enforcement activities. Consider:

• The potential to establish a whistleblowing app to collect information from the public on COVID-19 breaches
• Who should initiate and own an app to allow the public to report COVID-19 breaches, including the potential hesitation the public may have to report via Police websites
• Whether reports will be made anonymously by the public
• How to address and mitigate the potential for malicious or bogus reports
• What thresholds need to be met before action is taken
• How to analyse app data to identify patterns and trends of where, when and what breaches occur
• How to report back on subsequent enforcement actions and outcomes to individual whistle-blowers and to the wider public
• The need to increase capacity to engage, explain and encourage compliance by, for example, staff, trained volunteers, neighbourhood watch, local organisations (see COVID Marshals TMB Issue 28 (hyper) January 22nd)
• How to raise public awareness of whistleblowing apps to ensure that a lack of public awareness does not hinder their effectiveness

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

In Greater Manchester UK, the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) Ageing Hub, Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership, and partners launched the ‘Keeping Well this Winter campaign’ to support older residents in the region. The resources are designed to:

• Encourage conversations about keeping well during winter using a short film produced by older people, a talking tips guide and booklet to provide clear, practical resources containing key messages for staff and volunteers who have any contact with older residents, their friends or families

Resources are also being distributed directly to older residents through printed copies to avoid digital exclusion.

In addition, to support the promotion and dissemination of this information, a communications toolkit has also been designed for partners and includes:

• Leadership messages
• Briefings and networks/forums
• Internal and external electronic/printed newsletters
• Websites and social media accounts

The tips in these resources may be adapted to apply throughout the year and with other vulnerable people.

Research suggests that the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine will be heavily affected public attitudes about vaccination. For a highly infectious disease, even a vaccine with adequate efficacy, pace, and coverage may be insufficient to tackle population dynamics (e.g. age and population size) that produce high disease prevalence. Consider public messaging to:

• Foster widespread public understanding and enthusiasm for vaccination, while addressing sources of hesitancy for vaccines (generally and for COVID-19)
• Promote vaccine acceptance through culturally-sensitive, evidence-based and local communication
• Promote the continued need for other prevention practices even after a vaccine becomes available as reducing transmission requires a sustained commitment to public health practices
• Ensure that vaccines are understood by all communities, particularly underserved groups for which longstanding disparities in vaccination coverage have been evident

Social distancing and restricted movements are important measures to control transmission of COVID-19. But the efficacy of this may be improved by increased focus on targeted information that focuses on behavioral change. Persistent spikes in COVID-19 cases has promoted debate about the effectiveness of restricted movement as a preventative measure in and of itself. Lessons from Malaysia suggest that increased attention should be paid to communication strategies that focus on:

• Instilling new norms into people's daily lives through consistent and clear messaging from health officials
• Specific risk behaviours, preventive behaviours, illness behaviours, and compliant behaviours associated with cultural values, perceptions, belief, and attitudes
• Feedback from the public to improve and refine the communication process
• Reinforcing desired behavioural changes through continued behavioural change interventions, namely, capacity building, policy implementation and enforcement, resource mobilization and participation of various players including government, nongovernmental organizations, civil society groups and the target population
• Enhanced localized community messaging that is place specific
• Provision of regular, transparent data to the public in easy to understand formats. Do not decrease the level of open, detailed government information
• Targeted communications for specific hotspots such as some places of work (e.g. construction sites in Malaysia where infection spread quickly because of working conditions), and through providing guidance to associations, clubs and schools
• WHO 'Guidelines for Developing Behavioural Change Interventions in the Context of Avian Influenza' has some useful information on developing Behavioural Change Interventions here.

The novelty of the COVID-19 pandemic has meant that information about the disease has continually been changing. During the pandemic explicit or implied certainty has led to inaccurate predictions e.g. in death and infection rates. While so little is known about COVID-19 (meaning uncertainty is unavoidable), communicating preliminary or emergent data as certain facts had impacts on behaviours and lives. Consider how acknowledging uncertainty about COVID-19 may:

• Improve the atmosphere around scientific debate and build public trust through conveying that evidence and practice could/should change with more information and research
• Improve people's trust in government authority as the information they provide is transparent, and in respecting uncertainty are able to acknowledge credible yet conflicting evidence

Increase regular evaluation of pandemic management plans - emergency planner's understanding of influenza viruses has increased dramatically in recent decades, yet, there is very little certainty about the determinants of, and possibilities for, pandemic emergence ( https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2862331/). This is illustrated by contradiction that: COVID-19 was largely unexpected, but that there are a large number of influenza pandemic management plans in circulation.

The scale of COVID-19 requires information to the shared across countries and regions effectively. Consider how your organization can contribute to open data sets such as The Living Repository and the 'OECD - GOVLAB- Call for Evidence: Use of Open Government Data in COVID-19 Outbreak'. Consider contributing or using open data to identify:

• COVID-19 cases, individuals at risk, and forecasting future scenarios, including disease spread/contraction, and possible treatments for those infected
• Availability and demand for supplies, locating and connecting actors with medical supplies
• Whether communities adhere to guidelines and recommendations outlined by health authorities
• Public perceptions and how restrictions are affecting well-being, including crime e.g. the rise in domestic violence and child abuse
• Whether efforts are efficient, transparent, meet needs, and do not violate democracy, privacy, ethics or fundamental human rights
• Misinformation including accuracy, speed and scale of fact-checking
• How, where, and when lockdowns are lifted
• How the pandemic affects those who live and travel outside their country of national origin
• The most effective forms of aid to those most vulnerable to the pandemic's economic shocks
• The risks and challenges workers face to their health and safety and the protections available
• The impact on the ability of students and workers to meet learning and training outcomes
• Institutions most likely to close as a result of the pandemic and providing support
• The pandemic's effect on climate-related activities, global emissions, energy usage, and wildlife
• Disruptions caused by confinement measures on the economy e.g. analysing data on supply chains, trade, impacts on inclusive growth

While humour is not readily identifiable with disaster risk management, it has been shown as a useful tool to:

• Engage the audience, breaking through boredom
• Enable new ideas to emerge
• Invite people to change their frames of reference
• Creates a safe space to be candid and innovative
• Envision how things can go wrong/could change

One means of sensitively using humour is through cartoons. From week 13 of the speaker series, "Cities on the Frontline", the World Bank and the Global Resilient Cities Network commissioned cartoonists to create cartoons that represented the weekly theme to create cartoons that engage webinar participants differently. Consider how to sensitively use humour through outputs like cartoons to:

• Augment frank discussions about risk, meaningful engagement, and provide a safe space for respectful disagreement
• Explain information to individuals who may not have the technical experience in disasters e.g. there is often an expectation that communities who at risk are making decisions the same way that technical specialists do, yet, most individuals who are at risk in a floodplain, for instance, derive some benefit from living there. Thus, there are different decision-making factors to consider. Cartoons can help change the frame of reference for both risk specialists and communities
• Highlight potential problems. Cartoons can serve as metaphors, helping participants to see their role or project in a new light
• Provide non aggressive commentary on particular situations, especially those which are sensitive
• Encourage participatory discussions by depicting ideas at their extreme logical conclusions, or challenging positions or proposals to inspire dialogue about risk

The COVID-19 pandemic has produced a huge amount of information from a variety of sources, not least on the rules for local lockdown. In the UK, COVID-19 rules vary depending on whether you live in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland. In addition, millions of people are also affected by local restrictions. In Greater Manchester, for example, these restrictions have differed between metropolitan boroughs. The BBC have created a webpage 'Local lockdown rules: Check Covid restrictions in your area' that provides an example of how to support the public in finding information about COVID-19 restrictions in their areas, or areas of interest, through postcode searches. This helps to provide information about restrictions in individuals' locations and that of their friends, family or workplaces.

Guest briefing by Dr. Su Anson and Dr. Katrina Petersen, Trilateral Research and Inspector Sue Swift, Lancashire Constabulary, prompts thinking on risk communication approaches in the context of COVID-19 and how the public can be active agents in their own response. The authors focus on: Identifying goals and outcomes; developing the message; channels for two-way engagement; and evaluating communications effectiveness.

Follow the source link below to TMB Issue 22 to read this briefing in full (p.2-7)

Research by University College London (UCL) suggests that confidence in understanding coronavirus lockdown restrictions varies greatly across the UK and has dropped significantly since early national measures were put in place in March. As part of their ongoing research UCL determine that people generally consider themselves compliant with restrictions, but UCL caution that this should be interpreted in light of previous reports that show understanding of guidelines are low; therefore possibly reflecting belief in compliance opposed to actual compliance levels. Consider how to ensure residents in lock areas understand the rules that apply to them:

• Make direct contact with resident via social or traditional media, messaging apps, or leafleting through doors to ensure people understand their local restrictions. This may be especially important in combined authority areas as restrictions differ across metropolitan boroughs, the boundaries of which may not be clear to residents
• Encourage the display of digital tools showing local information about which restrictions apply in certain areas. This may be a simple video, or an interactive tool which people could access through localised digital marketing on their smartphones
• Consider where local, clear information could be publicly displayed e.g. digital advertising boards at local bus stops, or localised social media and television adverts
• Consider the demographics, resources and capacities of each community to establish the most appropriate methods of dissemination and key actors who could support this. In Mexico, this included: Video and audio messages shared via WhatsApp; audio messages transmitted via loudspeakers; and banners in strategic locations

In the UK, first-person accounts of living through the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic have been collected to better understand how people respond to pandemics and how to help people cope better in the future. This is particularly important if viral epidemics become more common. This type of research can form an important digital archive for future researchers. Consider working with local and academic organisations to develop an online survey to collate people's experiences on:

• How COVID-19 and the measures to control it are affecting and shaping interactions between individuals in society
• The effect of the pandemic on community wellbeing, quality of life and resilience
• The impact of digital technology on community responses to the spread of coronavirus
• The impact of the pandemic on how and where support can be accessed

How people with physical and mental health problems, and disability, and those who are facing inequality or discrimination have been impacted

Children with hearing loss return will increasingly come into contact with other school students and members of staff wearing masks. Consider how to optimise communication with children with hearing loss by adapting the use of face coverings in schools:

• Use face shields instead of masks as these have been reported to improve communication through visual cues and lip reading
• Be aware of how sound may be reduced when wearing a face shield so utilise technology such as personal microphones to mitigate loss of sound
• Ensure staff's face is visible to children by mitigating fogging of face shields by rubbing a small amount of soap, using an 'anti fogging' spray, or inserting a folded facial tissue between the face and top edge of the mask
• Remind staff of basic communication strategies such as use of clear speech. This can include clear enunciation, speaking slowly, minimizing background noise as much as possible, and facing the class while speaking. Teachers should also remember to repeat the questions and answers provided by other students in the classroom to provide a better opportunity for every child to hear peers' comments
• Offer a recorded version of the lesson whether this is in written or video form, or speech-to-text technology to provide real-time notation

To avoid singling out students with hearing loss, teachers can develop a silent communication system with the student to signal comprehension or misunderstanding e.g. a card system where a red card on the child's desk indicates their need for assistance and a green card indicates comprehension.

Local government are producing online materials to help people understand what has happened during response and what is meant by the next phase of COVID-19. This can communicate expectations and align aspirations for what recovery may involve. Consider:

• Producing a short video on how the response effort aims to support people and businesses
• Producing a short video on Recovery and Renewal
• Encouraging widespread dissemination of the video to households, classrooms, offices, waiting rooms, public spaces, social media
• Reach the widest audience by providing the video in different languages

Watch Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council's video: https://www.barnsley.gov.uk/services/health-and-wellbeing/coronavirus-covid-19/coronavirus-covid-19-recovery-plan-for-barnsley/

Sharing information is a powerful way to relate the changing situation of the COVID-19 crisis to the public. We know that local information is best for keeping people up-to-date on how the virus is affecting people in their area – essentially, by communicating what is happening in their local community. Boise State University (Idaho) have developed an online interactive dashboard to communicate an array of information to the public about Idaho State and its counties. Johns Hopkins University provides a similar dashboard for global cases of COVID-19, providing country-level information. Consider providing:

• An interactive map of the area for the public clicked on and drill down to access area-specific information
• Colour coded areas of the region to communicate comparisons across key measures
• Updates of the number of cases and deaths presented numerically and graphically
• Layer on information on where to get local support i.e. available community resources
• Providing updates of:
  • key behaviours that officials want the public to adopt
  • changes in guidelines
  • significant decisions made by the crisis committee
• The date/time when the information was last updated
• The dashboard in relevant languages for the area

There is a glut of information on COVID-19 and more often we are seeing news outlets attempting to check and correct misinformation that be being shared. This should aim to ensure that the public have conclusions about the virus which are substantiated, correct, and without political interference. Myths can be debunked, misinformation corrected, and poor advice challenged. Consider whether to:

• Provide your own fact-checking website
• Contribute to others' fact-checking sources
• Check facts of colleagues and partners to ensure correct information prevails
• Remind others of the importance of not spreading misinformation and checking other peoples' facts
• Link your website to official sources of information so not to promulgate misinformation

The public know that there are vast amounts of money being committed to tackling the COVID-19 pandemic. However, in many countries they do not know how much this is costing as the spending is constantly being adjusted as new responses and recovery initiatives are released. Consider producing an easy to read statement to make the costs transparent. See Japan's example: https://www.mofa.go.jp/files/100061342.pdf

The "Three Cs" are:

• Closed spaces
• Crowded places
• Close-contact settings

Advising people to avoid these three Cs may contribute to a communications message to prevent new outbreaks.

Processing information on coronavirus can be stressful. Consider how detailed information can be publicly shared, displayed and disseminated in an engaging and simple way, for example, through an infographic. The audience of the infographic should be clear but may include stakeholders, staff, citizens, tourists, customers, suppliers, volunteers, etc. Consider creating an infographic that includes:

• Number of people affected, recovered, died, tested, traced
• Number of volunteers, business contributions, donations, and the scope of effects they have had on COVID-19 response and recovery
• Number of travellers, visitors, business trips into the country/city
• Distribution of supplies and services e.g. PPE, number of service beneficiaries
• Other local government duties performed during the period of COVID-19 response and success of those
• Where to get more information from
• The date of the information contained in the infographic

Much information can be included and a regular circulation of such a graphic may keep stakeholders updated in an engaging way.

In early April 2020, the category 5 tropical cyclone named Harold formed in the South Pacific basin. Around 6th April, Cyclone Harold hit the small cluster of islands of Vanuatu with gusts above 275km and 10-18 inches of rain water. There was widespread destruction, flooding, evacuation shelters were activated, ships were grounded on beaches, and many of other significant impacts.

To explain to interested parties what happened during the run up to, and aftermath of, Cyclone Harold, Vanuatu's National Disaster Management Office produced a timeline of what happened, major decisions, and timings. This was made publicly available on their website to be an authoritative record of the events. It provides transparency to the sorts of activities that happened in the lead up to, and aftermath of, the cyclone hitting land - making the public aware of the work of emergency managers and responders.

Vanuatu's National Disaster Management Office are also producing a timeline that shows the major activities and decisions taken for COVID-19: https://ndmo.gov.vu/covid-19/timeline-covid-19-tc-harold.

In many countries, myths around the origin, transmission and even existence of COVID-19 are rife. In Argentina, public health experts have successfully worked with the Catholic Church to go door-to-door at the community level to dispel inaccuracies about the virus. This included working to reduce people's fears over providing information for contact tracing. The Church has also provided their buildings to house vulnerable people unable to isolate due to crowded living conditions in slums. Consider:

• The strength of message that local voices can add to public communications about behavioural changes to tackle COVID-19
• Coordination between government officials and faith-based/civil society organisations to ensure the most vulnerable are able to register for COVID-19 support and information
• Using local religious buildings to assist gathering or disseminating COVID-19 information in the community as these are well-known
• The role of faith-based/civil society organisations in disseminating information in multiple languages, or to those without access to the internet or regular news updates
• How working with faith-based/civil society organisations increases localised access to populations affected by directly and indirectly by COVID-19 - socially those who may not be integrated into the system e.g. the homeless

Reference: Public Health expert, Argentina

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

Tracking public opinion can provide insights into how a society is coping with rapid change, and provides organisations with data that can influence decision-making. During a pandemic this is particularly important as complex information is shared with the public at speed, understanding how this is being understood can help develop evidence-based interventions to support the population. Consider collecting the following types of public opinion information to inform recovery strategies:

• Perceptions of COVID-19 threats to the country, and to individuals
• Use of health services and health seeking behaviours e.g. how comfortable individuals are seeking treatment from hospitals or GPs
• Perceptions of health and care services and how well specific services are managing the pandemic
• Impacts on individuals' sleeping
• Perceptions of local, region or national partnerships e.g. businesses working with local authorities to combat COVID-19
• Impacts of COVID-19 on personal finances, whether positive, negative or neutral
• Perceptions of government performance in dealing with recovery

The population's outlook on getting 'back to normal'

As countries begin to open their border to international travel, there is much to consider, not least the information provided to travellers before they leave your country, as they travel, and as they enter your country.

Information provided to travellers before they leave their country is key, so travellers can prepare themselves to travel to an overseas destination with the right supplies and knowing the expected behaviours. This is especially important during COVID-19 where countries have differing regulations regarding social distancing, travel within the country, and fines. Consider providing a government-issued ‘safer travel information sheet’[1] and advising travellers to download it before they leave the country. The information sheet could cover:

• Travel advisory for the country they are to visit
• Behaviours and supplies needed for COVID safe travel and at the destination e.g. face masks
• How to travel safely on all legs of the trip (from home to final destination) e.g. not arriving too early at departure points, ticketing, parking
• Expectations for safe travel practices such as social distancing, required face coverings and when/how to wear masks
• Tips for travelling using all types of transport e.g. cars, aircraft, ferries
• Exemptions for people e.g. who does not need to wear a face covering
• Where to find more information, key contacts and their contact information

The travel industry has a central role in advising travellers of travel-related and destination-specific COVID-19 information. The travel industry can provide advice to:[2], [3]

• Prepare travellers for practical departure and arrival procedures e.g. temperature sensors, health declaration forms
• Practice COVID-19 behaviours whilst travelling e.g. mask wearing, personal interactions, expectations on children and infirm
• Provide up to date information to travellers on the COVID-19 situation in the arrival country and how to access current information during their stay
• Identify what travellers should do if they suspect they have symptoms during their stay and before they travel home
• Inform travellers of mandatory acts on arrival, such as registering or downloading a mandated track and trace phone app
• Educate travellers on the local expectation for behaving safely in the country and local means of enforcement
• Detail what travellers should do on arrival e.g. quarantine, self-isolation, in the case of a local lockdown
• Where to find more information, key contacts and their contact information
• Penalties for non-compliance with local requirements for COVID-19

When travellers land in a different country, or even return to their home country, they may not have updated information or knowledge about COVID-19 transmission, or the local expectations or regulations put in place to encourage safe behaviours. Instead travellers may have COVID-19 practices that do not align with the expectations of the country they are in, so need information to make adjustments so they can live by the county’s current protocols and legislation.[4] So that travellers arriving into your country are able to act according to local advice, consider how to update travellers on practices they should follow, covering[5], [6], [7]:

• Major local developments on the virus
• The impact of those developments on new behaviours, expectations, curfews, etc.
• Information on the sorts of services that are available, including holiday-related and travel
• Information on regulations, behaviours, practices and expectations e.g. quarantine, self-isolation, track and trace procedures
• Information on residence permits and visas
• Information on onward travel, transiting through the country and returning home
• Where to find more information, key contacts and their contact information

Appropriate channels should be considered to share this information with travellers e.g. travel providers, travel infrastructure providers, hotels.

References:

[1] https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-safer-travel-guidance-for-passengers#safer-travel-information-sheet

[2] https://www.airfrance.co.uk/GB/en/common/page_flottante/information/faq-coronavirus.htm

[3] https://travelupdates.abudhabiairport.ae/home

[5] https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/en/einreiseundaufenthalt/coronavirus

[6] https://www.government.nl/topics/coronavirus-covid-19/tourism-in-the-netherlands

[7] https://www.krisinformation.se/en/hazards-and-risks/disasters-and-incidents/2020/official-information-on-the-new-coronavirus/visiting-sweden-during-the-covid-19-pandemic

As countries begin to open their border to international travel, there is much to consider, not least the information provided to travellers before they leave your country, as they travel, and as they enter your country.

Information provided to travellers before they leave their country is key, so travellers can prepare themselves to travel to an overseas destination with the right supplies and knowing the expected behaviours. This is especially important during COVID-19 where countries have differing regulations regarding social distancing, travel within the country, and fines. Consider providing a government-issued 'safer travel information sheet' and advising travellers to download it before they leave the country. The information sheet could cover:

• Travel advisory for the country they are to visit
• Behaviours and supplies needed for COVID safe travel and at the destination e.g. face masks
• How to travel safely on all legs of the trip (from home to final destination) e.g. not arriving too early at departure points, ticketing, parking
• Expectations for safe travel practices such as social distancing, required face coverings and when/how to wear masks
• Tips for travelling using all types of transport e.g. cars, aircraft, ferries
• Exemptions for people e.g. who does not need to wear a face covering
• Where to find more information, key contacts and their contact information

The travel industry has a central role in advising travellers of travel-related and destination-specific COVID-19 information. The travel industry can provide advice to:

• Prepare travellers for practical departure and arrival procedures e.g. temperature sensors, health declaration forms
• Practice COVID-19 behaviours whilst travelling e.g. mask wearing, personal interactions, expectations on children and infirm
• Provide up to date information to travellers on the COVID-19 situation in the arrival country and how to access current information during their stay
• Identify what travellers should do if they suspect they have symptoms during their stay and before they travel home
• Inform travellers of mandatory acts on arrival, such as registering or downloading a mandated track and trace phone app
• Educate travellers on the local expectation for behaving safely in the country and local means of enforcement
• Detail what travellers should do on arrival e.g. quarantine, self-isolation, in the case of a local lockdown
• Where to find more information, key contacts and their contact information
• Penalties for non-compliance with local requirements for COVID-19

When travellers land in a different country, or even return to their home country, they may not have updated information or knowledge about COVID-19 transmission, or the local expectations or regulations put in place to encourage safe behaviours. Instead travellers may have COVID-19 practices that do not align with the expectations of the country they are in, so need information to make adjustments so they can live by the county's current protocols and legislation. So that travellers arriving into your country are able to act according to local advice, consider how to update travellers on practices they should follow, covering:

• Major local developments on the virus
• The impact of those developments on new behaviours, expectations, curfews, etc.
• Information on the sorts of services that are available, including holiday-related and travel
• Information on regulations, behaviours, practices and expectations e.g. quarantine, self-isolation, track and trace
• Information on residence permits and visas procedures
• Information on onward travel, transiting through the country and returning home
• Where to find more information, key contacts and their contact information

Appropriate channels should be considered to share this information with travellers e.g. travel providers, travel infrastructure providers, hotels.

To read this case study in its original format (including references), follow the source link below to TMB Issue 14 p.15-16.

Data protection does not stop an organisation asking employees whether they are experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms or introducing appropriate testing. Consider the following to ensure data protection compliance:

• Only collect and use information that is necessary to ensure the workplace is safe. Decide if the same result can be achieved without collecting personal information
• Only keep information temporarily or justify if a permanent record of information is needed
• Be clear, open and honest with staff about their personal information, how and why you need it, who you will share their information with, and for how long
• Treat people fairly and think carefully about any detriment or discrimination staff might suffer if the information is retained and shared
• Keep people's information secure and consider when personal information needs to be anonymised
• Enable staff to exercise their information rights, and discuss any concerns

Conduct a data protection impact assessment.

In one city in Colombia, the local authorities decided on a campaign based on the idea of looking out for one another, and the slogan "Let's get our hands back into work, while looking out for each other". Involving local residents included:

• taking photographs of residents' hands working on relatable activities e.g. local bakers baking bread, or greengrocers laying out fruit and vegetables in the local store. The campaign also included photographs of residents' eyes
• preparing posters for city-wide use of the images and slogan

The campaign successfully involved people from the community literally looking out at, and for, one another, and improved engagement with the message.

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

Isolation and loneliness is a big issue in rural communities which has been heightened by lockdown. Consider projects such as ConnecTED Together that offer:

• A phone befriending service
• Signposting to other agencies
• Fortnightly packs that are emailed featuring news, reviews, quizzes, short stories, and recipes
• A dedicated YouTube channel with video features on themes such as exercise, healthy eating and working with technology
• 'How to' guides e.g. use of digital devices

Campaigns that include the KnitTED Together campaign where people can share pictures of creative knitting and experiences via social media

The WHO developed a risk communication and community engagement readiness checklist. It outlines six areas for consideration:

1. Risk communication systems e.g. Strengthen the surge capacity of communicators and community engagement expert
2. Internal partner coordination e.g. Assess the communication capacity of partners: identify typical audiences and communication channels
3. Public communication e.g. Review the roster of spokespeople at all levels; list their areas of expertise in COVID-19
4. Community engagement e.g. Establish methods for understanding the concerns, attitudes and beliefs of the community
5. Addressing uncertainty, perceptions and managing misinformation e.g. Establish dialogue in activities to systematically collect and provide answers to questions from the public
6. Capacity building e.g. Consider what training will be needed

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.

I have identified that some of the global responses to these challenges provide potential for renewed communication strategies. To realise renewed crisis communication strategies that engage the public, local authorities should consider:

Techniques to counter disinformation

• Recognising bot generated information on social media and fact-checking claims

Working with communities on communication campaigns

• Encouraging institutions in the local community to transmit key messages
• Increase community engagement and public enrolment in crisis governance

Reflecting community diversity in communications

• Ensuring the needs of all members of the public are addressed in communication strategies
• Producing messages in different languages, addressing different age groups and attuning communications to different abilities

Using multiple media

• Using various media platforms from advertising surfaces to mass text messaging and public artwork

TMB Issue 10 brings together the reflections of our learning from the first 10 weeks of gathering lessons on recovery and renewal from COVID-19. Follow the source link below to read all of the reflections from our team (p.9-15).

In France, The National Bar Council created a voluntary telephone service to help and assist individuals and companies with legal issues related to the impacts of COVID-19. Legal advice covered family law such as parental access to see a child under lockdown, and labour law including defaulting on business loans, and access to government assistance.

Telecom data cover large populations and uses pre-existing technology that can be used to understand mobility patterns and human behaviour in near-real-time. Indicators from telecom data can inform provide information about:

• The number of people visiting hotspots
• Where those visiting hotspots came from
• Where they went afterwards
• How restrictions have impacted populations' movements
• How many people are away home and for how long

This can provide localised information on track and trace, and may be particularly useful for countries with less well developed infrastructure and access to smart technology.

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

The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises to:

• Avoid language that blames others or leads to stigmas
• Pay attention to what children see or hear, whether it's online, on television, or media such as newspapers
• Reduce the amount of screen time focused on COVID-19 as too much information can lead to anxiety
• Talk to children about how some internet stories on COVID-19 may be based on inaccurate information
• Help children thoroughly wash their hands for at least 20 seconds
• Teach and remind children to practice healthy habits e.g. coughing or sneezing into a tissue

Strategies should broadly include:

• Sending alerts to the public so they know what to do
• Encouraging the public to make a plan to protect and connect with people close to them
• Educating the public about getting to safety with key items they would need
• Educating the public about staying safe at home when they can't leave
• Encouraging the public to help friends and neighbours get ready

Including:

• Clearly identify authoritative sources
• Encourage social media companies to correct disinformation
• Develop policies on media use of traumatic footage
• Mitigate individuals' risk of misinformation
• Improve health literacy and critical thinking skills
• Minimise sharing of misinformation through fact checking

This is a plan that will explain what is permitted and prohibited at each phase of easing the lockdown. The first phase would deliberately be called red, to ensure people stopped to think before they did things:

The red phase

• Some shops could re-open with strict social distancing, as most supermarkets do now
• Many shops might choose not to re-open for commercial reasons e.g. as demand would be low
• Travel should be discouraged and many international flights banned

The amber phase

• Over-65s should live as if under a hard lockdown
• Daily new cases <500 persons, Testing capacity >100k, Tracing capacity >50%, Shielding
• Work if your workplace is open and if you have a 'clear' reading on your contact tracing app. Use masks where possible. Otherwise only leave home as for Hard Lockdown
• Unlimited private car journeys allowed, although people are discouraged from crowded destinations
• Vary the rush hour with different opening and closing times to minimise pressure on public transport and reduce crowds
• Patrons encouraged to show a 'clear' reading on your contact tracing app. Must follow social distancing
• Wear masks and gloves when using public transport
• Restaurants could reopen but with strict seating demarcations to uphold social distancing
• Smaller shops could reopen

The green phase

• Daily new cases <100. Testing + tracing in place. Public gatherings <100 allowed
• Sporting events or mass gatherings could take place, and places of worship can reopen
• Mass transit could return to normal
• The return of international flights should be based on the risks of flying to other countries
• Macro-economic policies such as cutting VAT rates might be employed to boost spending