Policy Recommendations to Risk Communication during the COVID-19 Crisis: The Analysis from the Case Study of Department of Disease Control

Abstract

        Lessons of Risk Communication During the COVID-19 Situation, Department of Disease Control aims to draw on lesson-learned risk communication patterns, to synthesize media professions’ viewpoints, to explore viewpoints of policy makers and academics on how Department of Disease Control handles COVID-19, and to synthesize findings to propose recommendations on policy’s related matter through in-depth interviews of 19 persons.

        The findings indicate that COVID-19 allows Department of Disease Control to extend its mission related to risk and crisis communication in multiple dimensions. Under the pandemic of COVID-19, Department of Disease Control holds its position to manage risk strategies, secure command system and implement risk communication plan for surveillance and warning to the public according to WHO’s guidelines to combat risk successfully. However, after COVID-19 spreads through the society and levels up to become a crisis, there are gaps that show some barriers in the Department’s communication plan to handle the crisis situation. As a result, panic, confusion and chaos are determined during later waves of the pandemic.

        There are recommendations to Department of Disease Control to adjust its paradigm of thought to elevate risk communication to crisis management in the case of COVID-19 where immediate response to control situation is prioritized. During the time of crisis, ambiguity of news and information are required to managed and controlled to reduce public uncertainty. Five dimensions of Department’s adjustment are suggested; planned strategy for crisis communication, audience analysis, information center setting, human resource management and proactive communication during the time of COVID-19 crisis.

        Challenges for the Department of Disease Control in risk and crisis communication operation are: (1) the adjustment of communication strategies to balance outside pressure and its academic standpoint, (2) revision and re-understanding of risk communication missions which should be extended to crisis communication in the case of emerging infectious diseases to reduce and control public unrest, and (3) integration of proactive communication to accommodate outside partners and strategic alliances who are communication specialists to alleviate limited human resources of the department.