BY AMIRALI PARPIA
As countries around the world are developing strategies to combat the COVID-19 pandemic and bring life back to the ‘new normal’, it would be pertinent to say that the virus caught us all – the developing and developed countries alike off guard.
In Pakistan, it seems policy makers are struggling between competing priorities to respond to COVID-19. Notwithstanding, the limited resources at the disposal of the government, it could be argued that the battle between policies for life safety and economic wellbeing in Pakistan, have brushed aside several key policy areas.
Firstly, it is important to put hand on pulse of the masses and respond with appropriate campaigns to sensitize them. Despite the federal and provincial governments’ efforts, it has been noted that the general public is not taking health warning / messages of social distancing seriously.
flouting social distancing directions frustrates government’s efforts to check spread of the virus
The reasons for such rigidity can be attributed to the failure of the media and government’s ‘messaging’ to cause an impetus for change at the individual level. As a result, too often, people would break the social distancing recommendations feeling that their ‘individual’ actions will have limited or no impact on a ‘global’ issue. Not only is this empirically incorrect, but flouting the directions frustrates the government’s efforts to check spread of the virus.
It is disappointing to note that the image of the virus itself, at least until a few weeks back, was portrayed to be docile. The awareness campaign from the government and media mostly narrated, “It’s just a type of flu, more people die from other diseases compared to corona.”
Such messages not only created confusion but also undermined the need for urgent action. This eventually backfired as it was eventually realized that COVID is definitely more than a normal flu; it spreads exponentially unlike many other diseases and it has definitely caused a global panic.
As we move beyond the social distancing phase and life normalizes, clear and crisp message will become more important to guide people on key measures to resume the journey to socio-economic wellbeing.
Secondly, it is high time to address the implications of popular COVID-19 narrative which is spreading fear and negativity among the masses. It was heartening to see that the social media has showered appreciation for health workers, teachers, police and allied forces as the superheroes.
But apart from that, a majority of TV and social media space is filled with news of death toll, lack of public health infrastructure, political rivalries, economic woes, predictions of uncertainty in the post-COVID era etc.
While the message is important, we also need to be mindful of the implications of this pandemic on the mental and emotional health of several people who are exposed to these negative narratives throughout the day.
focus on introducing initiatives which address issues associated with mental and emotional health
Therefore, as governments and the civil society plan to bringing life back to normal, they should consider thinking beyond economic measures, and should also focus on introducing initiatives which address issues associated with mental and emotional health. This is particularly true for the people who are marginalized and may have suffered from social and emotional violence at home during COVID-19.
Thirdly, it is important that policy makers in Pakistan think out of the box and embrace the fact that disruptions in the nature of work will continue to increase in the future. COVID-19 has challenged the traditional understanding of ‘work’ and given an impetus to the digitization initiatives.
As the IT industry is maturing in Pakistan, the government needs to introduce policies which promote IT initiatives and incentivize digitization. In addition, the government should seriously explore option to digitize its own data structures. The subsidies and random distribution of food rations during COVID-19 have suggested need to maintain real-time data on poverty and socio-economic indicators to ensure that the resources are invested for the most deserving people.
The three policy priorities mentioned in this article have strong connections to the long-term wellbeing of our society. While COVID-19 has significantly affected the social norms and economic structures of our society, it is soothing to see that the humanity, as a whole, is coming together against a common enemy (which thankfully is not a human or a community).
Perhaps, it would be fair to assume that the need for survival has preceded over all human conflicts. This gives us an opportunity to reflect and make a fresh start. The way we respond to COVID-19 and design our policy priorities, will shape the nature of human wellbeing in the post-COVID-19 world.
(AMIRALI PARPIA has studied Social Policy and Development from the London School of Economics, United Kingdom. He is working in the international development sector of Pakistan focusing on the areas of climate change, habitat improvement, education, and health. He can be contacted at parpia.amirali@gmail.com )
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