Pandemic Playbook Posts

The Pandemic Playbook is currently under construction. New content, format and organization will continue to be created and refined.

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Phasing and Framing of lockdowns and relaxations: What do they tell us?

May 27, 2020
4 min

Phasing and Framing of lockdowns and relaxations: What do they tell us?

As the COVID-19 pandemic is approaching or has surpassed it's peak intensity in a number of countries, governments are rushing to chart roadmaps to exit lockdowns. Mandatory shelter-in-place requirements and shutdowns of businesses and public activities have imposed a significant toll, not only on the economy, but also mental and emotional well-being of the public. So there is considerable pressure on governments to lift restrictions. But public health experts and epidemiolog

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Learning from Grocers as Lockdowns Ease

May 14, 2020
2 min

Learning from Grocers as Lockdowns Ease

Grocery stores and food markets have been open throughout the lockdowns and shelter in place orders. They have had to come up with new procedures, signs and protocols to ensure proper physical distancing in order to keep their staff and customers safe. As countries beginning easing lockdowns, a new normal will continue to evolve for how we shop. Groceries and market places have already implemented several design solutions to maintain appropriate social distancing. Some of the

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When distance is a privilege: Physical distancing in low income settlements

May 6, 2020
4 min

When distance is a privilege: Physical distancing in low income settlements

Tight small spaces with tin roofs, multiple family members including senior citizens housed in a cramped 200 sq ft space, narrow lanes, communal spaces and a raging virus. At a time, when physical distancing is being seen as the only possible counter to the Corona Virus pandemic, across the world, people in low income settlements are struggling to bring in distance in their interactions. Along with abject material poverty, migrant and wage labor status and a weak social safet

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Complying with Physical Distancing

May 6, 2020
4 min

Complying with Physical Distancing

Physical Distancing has become a key requirement to contain the spread of the Coronavirus. But it has been challenging for many societies and countries to observe it to the tee, given the human tendency to underestimate the risk and chance of infection. As coping fatigue develops, especially in nations where the lockdown has been extended, it becomes very important to frame and communicate messages about physical-distancing in a way that motivates people to stay compliant to

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Fatigue and coping with lockdown

May 5, 2020
3 min

Fatigue and coping with lockdown

Lockdown and Distancing Importance of physical distancing in a pandemic cannot be stressed enough, yet the act itself is very much against the basic nature of humans, resulting in a complex set of problems. For starters, it is relatively more difficult to obey rules imposed by others versus our own. This gets more challenging when new rules interfere with our personal space - likes of physical distancing and economic goals given we are social creatures engaged in continuous e

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The Vital Role of Essential Workers During Lockdowns

May 1, 2020
3 min

The Vital Role of Essential Workers During Lockdowns

During lockdowns and shelter in place orders, not everyone is afforded the opportunity to work from home. Unfortunately the majority of essential service workers are generally receiving lower pay with less health insurance benefits even though they provide us all with the essential services that our communities require to exist. Our postal workers, farmers working in the fields, transportation workers, cashiers, sanitation departments and the myriad of other individuals are c

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Conundrums of Enforcing Social Distancing

May 1, 2020
3 min

Conundrums of Enforcing Social Distancing

Social or physical distancing has become a catch-all phrase for a wide range of measures undertaken across the world to slow the spread of the COVID infection. Best way to understand social distancing is as a non-pharmaceutical prevention method to reduce the droplet transmission of the virus. COVID-19 spreads mainly among people who are in close contact (within about 6 feet) for a prolonged period. Spread happens when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or talks, and droplet

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Risk Compensation: Mitigating “I wear mask so I can go out more often” behaviours

Apr 23, 2020
1 min

Risk Compensation: Mitigating “I wear mask so I can go out more often” behaviours

Risk Compensation Once the challenge of adherence to mask wearing is addressed, the next challenge is its implications on other behaviours. Like how having ABS in cars can make certain drivers more confident in driving at higher speeds, wearing masks can give a false sense of security that one is much safer now, given you are doing something that you usually would not do (especially having overcome substantial inertia). Therefore, this false sense of security can lead to comp

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Supporting the Development of a New Norm - Mask Wearing

Apr 22, 2020
3 min

Supporting the Development of a New Norm - Mask Wearing

We are in need of a new set of norms around wearing masks in public. Mask wearing has already been established as a norm in many East Asian countries for a variety of purposes - epidemics, air pollution, flu season as well as coping with allergies. Masks have come to symbolize solidarity and are perceived as a collective responsibility, especially with the saliency of epidemics such as SARS. There are several beliefs that have delayed the adoption and adherence of mask wearin

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Providing Feedback to Promote Long Term Adherence

Apr 16, 2020
2 min

Providing Feedback to Promote Long Term Adherence

Long-term lockdown and shelter in place orders take their toll on us all. Leadership needs to provide feedback not just on the number of cases and deaths, but also in relation to the effects of the shelter in place and lockdowns. Individuals cannot gauge whether their efforts, which come at a personal cost, are working in the fight against COVID-19. Individuals need to know how and if these individually demanding efforts are affecting the fight against COVID-19 in order to b

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Contextually Specific Visual Cues Provide Clarity in Uncertain Times

Apr 15, 2020
2 min

Contextually Specific Visual Cues Provide Clarity in Uncertain Times

When given the action to remain six feet apart from others in order to limit transmission of COVID-19, we are left with a new normal and a reminder that we are not good at judging distances. Visual cues for this six-foot distancing have appeared all over the world in stores, markets, polling places and community social media posts, making actionable this somewhat abstract directive. The effectiveness of these visual cues comes from the community level implementation as they h

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