Cannot agree more here. Basically this is contingency planning for Covid-19. Authorities needs to start working thoroughly by creating scenarios and responsive actions based on the situation. As per WHO risk assessment this outbreak is globally on category “HIGH”.(1/11)
PREPARE FOR A PANDEMIC! #COVIDー19 meets 2 of the 3 factors needed to be classified as a Pandemic; 1- illness resulting death 2- Sustained person-to-person spread 3- Worldwide spread. In no time we have to hear this as it has spiked on foreign lands in the past few days (2/11).
Although some of the efforts of preparedness have been done which needs to be escalated and boosted by the Maldivian authorities. I Would like to highlight few of the steps for better preparation. (3/11)
STEP 1 - National COVID-19 Contingency plan: Develop nation wide contingency plan classifying which authorities does what, when, where, which scale. It must be inclusive of response levels and utilization of physical, financial, infrastructural and technical capacities. (4/11)
STEP 2 - Simulate different scenarios based on the contingency plan.
STEP 3 - Increasing the surveillance on detection and regularly updating country-wide risk assessments. Enforce major restrictions on traveller movements from the outbreak locations. (5/11)
STEP 3 - Increasing the surveillance on detection and regularly updating country-wide risk assessments. Enforce major restrictions on traveller movements from the outbreak locations. (5/11)
Increasing screening facilities in all the entry points.
STEP - 4 Prepare Public Health Rapid Response Teams (RRTs) with training of contact tracing, biological sample collections and stock sufficient PPEs with constant training of wearing and removing PPEs. (6/11)
STEP - 4 Prepare Public Health Rapid Response Teams (RRTs) with training of contact tracing, biological sample collections and stock sufficient PPEs with constant training of wearing and removing PPEs. (6/11)
STEP-5 Develop Risk Communication Material for public and rumor tackling strategies. Brief 360° - media outlets on reducing fear and panic when reporting the news and delivering the awareness messaging. (7/11)
STEP-6 Prepare for logistics of safety equipments by procuring and storing in all accessible locations for communities. Food, water and basic necessity pipelines must be monitored to avoid exhaustion and inflation in the market. (8/11)
STEP-9 Dead body management protocols must be reviewed and updated. Personnel’s must be trained for DBM incase if fatalities are large in number. (9/11)
STEP-10 Government must implement expansionary fiscal policy as a major economical impact is forecasted due to the travel restrictions. This must be done with effective and continuous monitoring of the economy. (10/11)
All these actions are advised based on the experience of the countries in the current outbreak. These may already be in action but I lay these here for reminder. (11/11)
