COVID-19: How to inform, empower to save lives

Obituaries
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to tell you we are witnessing a doomsday scenario. An outbreak of epidemic proportions. The famine, disease and pestilence foretold in the Book of Revelations are playing out in real time.

public relations:by Lenox Lizwi Mhlanga

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to tell you we are witnessing a doomsday scenario. An outbreak of epidemic proportions. The famine, disease and pestilence foretold in the Book of Revelations are playing out in real time.

The dreaded coronavirus, dubbed Covid-19, has the potential of decimating millions around the globe. Yet, like in any epidemic, the greatest enemy is that of ignorance. And ignorance begets rumour, misinformation and the spread of fear.

The coronavirus has infected thousands and killed hundreds in China and it continues to spread to other countries. Italy has the biggest number of infections in Europe. Oddly enough, the epidemic has given Sub-Saharan Africa, with its compromised health care systems, some respite, at least for now.

Health care institutions marshalled by the World Health Organisation (WHO), are working around the clock to find a cure, while leading the charge to treat patients, and disseminate accurate information about the disease.

While they leave the rest of us guessing where and when it would hit next, brands and organisations across the globe have braced themselves to tackle a crisis of epic proportions. There is little doubt that as the disease hits the deep pockets of blue chip corporates, everyone has to sit up and pay attention.

As communications strategists, we worry about the communication deficiencies we encounter when such calamities strike closer to home. It is just not about getting all hands and equipment on the deck, but how we communicate about the disease and its effects to the general populace. This is a responsibility we should all shoulder because knowledge is not just power, but it may save lives.

In such situations, we cannot rely on the authorities alone to build those essential lines of defence that act as a buffer against the worst excesses of Covid-19. Every organisation has a responsibility to lend a hand, particularly when they are in the business of providing essential goods and services that could be deployed against the epidemic.

First, the government, which by now receives essential help from institutions such as WHO, must assume leadership of a unified response against Covid-19. One would say it is through God’s providence that the continent has not endured the worst of the outbreak as yet.

The authorities should take advantage of this window of opportunity to be proactive and mobilise resources and partners to tackle the outbreak should it hit our shores with a vengeance.

Public relations executives surveyed by the online magazine, Campaign, emphasise the need for frequent, transparent and accurate communications.

Last week the Health and Child Care ministry posted and shared a statement giving advice to people trading to and from Zimbabwe about the virus. It’s one of the few statements that some of us have seen coming from the ministry. I queried this and also this over reliance on statements to assure a worried public that they had things under their control.

What other channels or platforms were being used to distribute such statements? That’s where the problem lies. The messages are not getting to their intended audiences. Is there in existence a proper communication strategy in place that ensures that the messaging gets the sought after mileage?

The ministry needs to counter disinformation on various platforms by making deliberate and targeted messaging to an anxious and terrified nation. In South Africa, their Health minister Zweli Mkhize holds daily media briefings and updates all shared on the various platforms including Facebook and WhatsApp (where most of us regularly converse), as well as radio, among others.

There is something in communication about seeing the face of the very person on whom the responsibility lies to assure the nation in this trying time. Hiding behind statements does not inspire confidence as people see no one to own the message.

We call that owning the message and shaping the narrative. The Ministry has to move from debunking rumours and disputing misinformation to being first with the hard facts. They have to shape the control the narrative around Covid-19 and be the point of reference for information about the virus and efforts around its control.

They should keep the messages simple and factual to avoid any unnecessary panic. This makes sense due to the manner in which social media has seized the high ground spreading false narratives around the outbreak when we need the assurance of hard facts around the disease so we all make informed decisions.

Social media has drastically increased the speed a crisis can develop and spread. News and accusations can quickly “go viral” through multiple social media channels. Slow or inappropriate responses during a fast-moving crisis can cause severe reputational damage.

This demands that the authorities be ready to act swiftly by continuously monitoring the media and regularly engage with internal and external stakeholders to stay abreast of the situation.

As for corporates, having or assembling a preliminary crisis plan based on recommendations of public health organizations is important. They should expect that the spread of the disease will negatively affect their operations and, more ominously, the health and safety of their employees.

Brands should emphasise employee safety. By placing a priority on the wellbeing of employees in as crisis such as this one, reflects the organisation as a considerate and compassionate to its workers. Keeping tabs on employee travel plans and considering allowing remote or telecommuting work arrangements is a great idea.

In the affected countries, technology has come to the rescue as companies and schools conduct business online with employees and students no moving an inch from their homes. This has contributed to the containment of the virus.

Like we showed earlier, an increase in corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities by contributing to social causes is a duty all corporates should embark on. Many commendably reacted with admiration to the cyclone that hit part of the country last year. Those brands that are able, should donate to organised and reliable entities where their efforts will not find their way into some undeserving pockets.

We all have a duty to counter misinformation and fake news.

“We are in an era of information overload and fake news, which makes it even more important for government and other institutions to position themselves as credible sources of information that people can rely on,” says Antoine Calendrier, Head of reputation, North Asia, Edelman Asia Pacific We can draw lessons from the Ebola outbreak in 2014, says Daniel Keeney, founder and president of DPK Public Relations. This will help to make the same healthcare management and communications mistakes committed then from being repeated in the coronavirus situation.

In his wisdom, Keeney offers these recommendations:

Know the facts before you speak. One of my teachers used to implore us to engage our brains before we spoke. Here, get your facts right first before you go viral.

“Early in both the Ebola and coronavirus outbreaks, health experts knew very little about the diseases and how they spread. As the coronavirus started spreading, political leaders, including Washington Governor Jay Inslee and President Trump, issued unrealistically positive public statements,” Keeney observes.