Governing public health emergencies during the coronavirus disease outbreak: Lessons from four Chinese cities in the first wave

Urban Studies ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 004209802110493
Author(s):  
Lingyue Li ◽  
Surong Zhang ◽  
Jinfeng Wang ◽  
Xiaoming Yang ◽  
Lan Wang
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Local Governance ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Effective Control ◽  
Chinese Government ◽  
Effective Response ◽  
Chinese Cities ◽  
Public Health Emergencies ◽  
Policy Measures

The ongoing coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has had a far-reaching impact on urban living, prompting emergency preparedness and response from public health governance at multiple levels. The Chinese government has adopted a series of policy measures to control infectious disease, for which cities are the key spatial units. This research traces and reports analyses of those policy measures and their evolution in four Chinese cities: Zhengzhou, Hangzhou, Shanghai and Chengdu. The theoretical framework stems from conceptualisations of urban governance and its role in public health emergencies, wherein crisis management and emergency response are highlighted. In all four cities, the trend curves of cumulative diagnosed cases, critical policies launched in key time nodes and local governance approaches in the first wave were identified and compared. The findings suggest that capable local leadership is indispensable for controlling the coronavirus epidemic, yet local governments’ approaches are varied, contributing to dissimilar local epidemic control policy pathways and positive outcomes in the fight against COVID-19. The effectiveness of disease control is determined by how local governments’ measures have adapted to geospatial and socioeconomic heterogeneity. The coordinated actions from central to local governments also reveal an efficient, top-down command transmission and execution system for coping with the pandemic. This article argues that effective control of pandemics requires both a holistic package of governance strategies and locally adaptive governance measures/processes, and concludes with proposals for both a more effective response at the local level and identification of barriers to achieving these responses within diverse subnational institutional contexts.

scholarly journals Investigation into Information Release of Chinese Government and Departments on COVID-19

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 209-235
Author(s):  
Quan Lu ◽  
Ting Liu ◽  
Chang Li ◽  
Jing Chen ◽  
Yongchun Zhu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Prevention And Control ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
World Health ◽  
Chinese Government ◽  
Public Health Emergencies ◽  
Information Release ◽  
And Control ◽  
Different Levels

AbstractInformation release is an important way for governments to deal with public health emergencies, and plays an irreplaceable role in promoting epidemic prevention and control, enhancing public awareness of the epidemic situation and mobilizing social resources. Focusing on the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic in China, this investigation chose 133 information release accounts of the Chinese government and relevant departments at the national, provincial, and municipal levels, including Ministries of the State Council, Departments of Hubei Province Government, and Bureaus of Wuhan Government, covering their portals, apps, Weibos, and WeChats. Then, the characteristics such as scale, agility, frequency, originality, and impact of different levels, departments, and channels of the information releases by the Chinese government on the COVID-19 epidemic were analyzed. Finally, the overall situation was concluded by radar map analysis. It was found that the information release on the COVID-19 epidemic was coordinated effectively at different levels, departments, and channels, as evidenced by the complementarity between channels, the synergy between the national and local governments, and the coordination between departments, which guaranteed the rapid success of the epidemic prevention and control process in China. This investigation could be a reference for epidemic prevention and control for governments and international organizations, such as the World Health Organization (WHO), during public health emergencies, e.g. the COVID-19 pandemic.

Concept and components of the financial-investment maintenance of local governance

2020 ◽  
pp. 100-112
Author(s):  
Zenoviy Siryk
Keyword(s):  
Social Services ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Local Governance ◽  
Local Level ◽  
National Standards ◽  
Investment Policy ◽  
Financial Resources ◽  
Financial Investment ◽  
Balanced Development ◽  
And Function

The issues related to the management of financial resources of territorial communities, financial independence of local governments and forming of efficient financial-investment policy to secure the balanced development of local communities and territories become of utmost importance in conditions of financial decentralization and administrative-territorial reform in Ukraine. The problem issues concerning the forming of financial-investment maintenance of local governance directly impact the capacity of a territorial community that should have financial, material, and other resources in the volumes sufficient to completely accomplish the tasks and function of local governments and provide social services to the population at the level stipulated by national standards. The forming of financial-investment maintenance of local governance is revealed to be directly influencing the capacity of a territorial community that should have financial, material, and other resources in the volumes sufficient to completely accomplish the tasks and function of local governments and provide social services to the population. The expansion of local governments’ competences and granting them greater independence are substantiated to be requiring more responsibility in the financial-investment policy implementation on the local level, forming of conditions to perform the economic activity, and develop businesses by all economic entities, and promoting favorable investment climate in the region. Based on the analysis of approaches to the definition of the nature of “financial maintenance” and “investment maintenance” in the context of the peculiarities of local governments’ activity, the paper suggests understanding the “financial-investment maintenance of local governance” as a set of opportunities and activities on distribution and use of financial resources and territories’ resources for the creation of conditions necessary for the efficient functioning of local governments and realization of their competences.

scholarly journals Rapid urban health security assessment tool: a new resource for evaluating local-level public health preparedness

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (6) ◽  
pp. e002606 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew R Boyce ◽  
Rebecca Katz
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Urban Health ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Local Health ◽  
Security Assessment ◽  
Direct Function ◽  
Health Security ◽  
Public Health Emergencies ◽  
Sustainable Capacity

Urbanisation will be one of the defining demographic trends of the 21st century—creating unique opportunities for sustainable capacity development, as well as substantial risks and challenges for managing public health and health emergencies. Plans and policies for responding to public health emergencies are generally framed at higher levels of governance, but developing, improving and sustaining the capacities necessary for implementing these policies is a direct function of local-level authorities. Evaluating local-level public health capacities is an important process for identifying strengths and weaknesses that can impact the preparedness for, detection of and response to health security threats. However, while various evaluations and assessments exist for evaluating capacities at other levels, currently, there are no readily available health security assessments for the local-level. In this paper, we describe a tool—the Rapid Urban Health Security Assessment (RUHSA) Tool—that is based on a variety of other relevant assessments and guidance documents. Assessing capacities allow for local-level authorities to identify the strengths and weaknesses of their local health security systems, create multiyear action plans and prioritise opportunities for improving capacities, effectively engage with development partners to target resources effectively and develop compelling narratives and a legacy of leadership. While the RUHSA Tool was not designed to be used in the midst of a public health emergency, such as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it may also be adapted to inform a checklist for prioritising what capacities and activities a city needs to rapidly develop or to help focus requests for assistance.

scholarly journals COVID-19 Contact Tracing

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 45-58
Author(s):  
Teresa Scassa
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Human Rights ◽  
Disease Surveillance ◽  
Local Governance ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Health Agency ◽  
Contact Tracing ◽  
Local Public Health ◽  
Health Initiatives ◽  
Rights Issues

This article surveys the rise of contact tracing technologies during the COVID-19 pandemic and some of the privacy, ethical, and human rights issues they raise. It examines the relationship of these technologies to local public health initiatives, and how the privacy debate over these apps made the technology in some cases less responsive to public health agency needs. The article suggests that as countries enter the return to normal phase, the more important and more invasive contact tracing and disease surveillance technologies will be deployed at the local level in the context of employment, transit, retail services, and other activities. The smart city may be co-opted for COVID-19 surveillance, and individuals will experience tracking and monitoring as they go to work, shop, dine, and commute. The author questions whether the attention given to national contact tracing apps has overshadowed more local contexts where privacy, ethical, and human rights issues remain deeply important but relatively unexamined. This raises issues for city local governance and urban e-planning.

scholarly journals PERAN PEMERINTAH DAERAH PADA PENANGANAN COVID-19

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 52-68
Author(s):  
Diyar Ginanjar Andiraharja
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Local Government ◽  
Health Service ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Central Government ◽  
Regional Government ◽  
Basic Health ◽  
Public Health Emergencies ◽  
Level Data ◽  
The Law

This study aimed to assess the strategies that have been implemented by the central and regional governments in handling COVID-19. There are ten regulations related to the research objectives that have been reviewed. The method applied is normative legal research. Second level data is used in this study. The literature reviewed is used to solve researchers' questions. From this study it was revealed that the local government was obliged to decide on the policies that had to be taken in handling COVID-19 with normal basic health service conditions. In the situation of the COVID-19 pandemic, the appropriate regulations were enacted not the Law on Regional Government, but the Law on Health Quarantine. The conclusion of this study, in the condition of public health emergencies there is uncertainty at the local government level, because with the decentralization in the field of health causes basic health service standards vary according to the commitment and fiscal capacity of local governments. Strengthening the role of local government is a major factor in overcoming COVID-19. Health services in the regions must be ensured by the central government to conform to the COVID-19 handling standard. With the current state of public health emergencies, it is hoped that the division of roles of the center and the regions will be expected to ensure the safety of citizens.

scholarly journals Local Government Response to COVID-19: Revitalizing Local Democracy in Bangladesh

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 701-712
Author(s):  
A.N.M. Zakir Hossain
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Public Engagement ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Local Governance ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Health Sector ◽  
Policy Formulation ◽  
Survey Method ◽  
Local Democracy ◽  
Google Docs

The study aims to identify the role of local government and its transformation in response to the COVID-19. It also shows how local governments extended the scope of accountability and transparency to strengthen democracy. The study followed the social survey method and collected data online through Google Docs form. The data were analyzed through descriptive statistics to generate expected results and test the hypothesis by the Spearman correlation coefficient. The study found local governments were positive during COVID-19 to provide services and offered more public engagement in policy formulation, thus more democratic. The health sector has shown the highest priority, with food and environmental services. Inefficient management capacity of leaders and apathy in public engagement hamper resource mobilization at the local level. During COVID-19, ICT intervention and innovation for digital transformation in local governance increased accountability and transparency through easy and effective participation of mass people to strengthen local democracy to respond effectively against COVID-19.

scholarly journals The impact of COVID-19 on local government stakeholders' perspectives on local food production

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Catherine Campbell
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Local Government ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Local Food ◽  
Public Health Emergencies ◽  
Adoption And Implementation ◽  
Local Food Production ◽  
The Impact

Local food production (LFP) can play an impor­tant role in ensuring access to food during supply chain disruptions. Because the drafting, adoption, and implementation of policies regulating LFP is under the purview of local governments in many U.S. states, researchers at University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Exten­sion conducted a study to assess whether COVID-19 affected local government stakeholders’ (LGS) (N=92) perspectives on LFP and the role that LFP can play in responding to public health emergen­cies. LGS who oversee the drafting, adoption, and implementation of LFP policies include staff responsible for code enforcement, sustainability initiatives, and planning, as well as elected and ap­pointed leaders, such as mayors, city and county managers, and city and county commissioners. The survey assessed LGS’ attitudes and knowledge about LFP. The survey also asked LGS about their perceptions and awareness of LFP in their commu­nities, including their perceptions of the benefits of and barriers to LFP and the ways in which LFP producers were using the food they produced. Sur­vey questions also focused specifically on COVID-19 and the role of LFP in public health emergen­cies. In particular, survey questions asked whether LGS perceived a change in their own attitudes, knowledge, and perspectives; whether there had been a change in the LFP activi­ties in their communities following COVID-19; and what they thought the role of LFP was in responding to public health emergencies. Direct comparisons of LGS who responded to a 2019 survey (N=43) were assessed for statistically sig­nificant changes in overall attitudes, knowledge, or perceived benefits of LFP following COVID-19. This study found that LGS have generally positive attitudes and perceptions of benefits of LFP, including its role in public health emergencies, but have limited knowledge about LFP or awareness of barriers to its implementation. The results of this study indicate that LGS understand the potential benefits of LFP in public health emergencies but would benefit from information and training to support the development of policies and programs in their communities.

scholarly journals The Chinese Government’s Response to the Pandemic: Measures, Dynamic Changes, and Main Patterns

Healthcare ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 1020
Author(s):  
Yuxi He ◽  
Maorui Li ◽  
Qixi Zhong ◽  
Qi Li ◽  
Ruishi Yang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Text Processing ◽  
Mainland China ◽  
Provincial Government ◽  
Global Public Health ◽  
Public Health Emergencies ◽  
Governance Systems ◽  
Control Pattern ◽  
Pandemic Severity

(1) Background: The governance measures that governments deploy vary substantially across countries and even within countries; there is, however, limited knowledge of the responses of local governments or from different areas in the same country. (2) Methods: By using grounded theory and an automatic text processing method, this study analyses the pandemic governance measures, the pandemic governance pattern, and possible factors across 28 provinces in mainland China based on the text of 28 official provincial government Sina microblogs dating from 20 January to 1 July 2020. (3) Results and discussion: The provincial pandemic governance patterns in China are divided into a pathogen-control pattern, a diagnosis and treatment consolidation pattern, a balanced promotion pattern, a quick-adjustment response pattern, and a recovery-oriented pattern. The pandemic severity, economic development, public health service, and population structure may all have an impact on pandemic governance measures. (4) Conclusions: The conclusions of this study may help us to reconstruct governance systems related to global public health emergencies from the perspective of normalisation, as well as providing important clarification for management and a reference for countries seeking to curb the global spread of a pandemic.

scholarly journals Evaluation and improvement of the emergency capacity of medical staff for COVID-19: A cross-sectional study in China

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shu-Xiao Hu ◽  
Chang-Fu Chen ◽  
Qing Liu ◽  
Gao-Fei Zhang ◽  
Hua-Lin Cheng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Emergency Preparedness ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Medical Staff ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Educational Background ◽  
The Self ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Public Health Emergencies

Abstract Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has spread to 216 countries and territories around the world. Most studies on response to public health emergencies, focus on health systems, local governments or medical organizations, but fewer studies focus on individuals. However, medical staff are the core strength for responding to public health emergencies. The aims of this study are to investigate the status of medical staff’s emergency capacity during the pandemic and to provide intellectual support to further enhance medical staff's ability to ensure the smooth operation of medical rescue. Methods: This study conducted a cross-sectional survey of four hospitals designated to treat patients with COVID-19 in China. Based on the emergency capacity system of medical staff for infectious diseases, an improved Emergency Preparedness Information Questionnaire was used to evaluate the emergency capacity of medical staff. Linear regression and one-way analysis of variance were used to test the differences in the emergency capacity of medical staff. Spearman correlation analysis was used to study the correlation between the self-efficacy and emergency capacity of medical staff. Results: The overall emergency capacity of the surveyed medical staff was at a medium level. There was a correlation between emergency capacity and age, working years, position, educational background and the area where medical staff worked. Emergency capacity was not related to the hospital grade. Emergency capacity was significantly related to whether medical staff had participated in frontline pandemic prevention work. There was also a positive correlation between emergency capacity and the self-efficacy of medical staff. Conclusions: The results highlight the importance of the training mechanism for emergency personnel. The emergency input for public health emergencies should be increased to improve the emergency capacity of medical staff. In addition, it is necessary to pay attention to the mental health of medical staff.

scholarly journals COVID-19 in China: Power, Transparency and Governance in Public Health Crisis

Healthcare ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 288
Author(s):  
Jinrui Zhang ◽  
Ruilian Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Information Disclosure ◽  
Local Governance ◽  
Governance Structure ◽  
Governance System ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
The Public ◽  
Stimulus Response ◽  
Public Health Crisis

Public health crises are the “touchstone” to test the ability of national public health crisis governance. The public health crisis in the new era presents new characteristics: systematic, cross-border and uncertainty. The governance dilemma of a public health crisis generally emphasizes the joint participation and communication of different subjects, which is suspected of overlapping and redundancy, and lacks the auxiliary support of major public health crisis events. It dispels the significance of government-level cooperation. The essence of the public health crisis governance system is the chain law of stimulus–response. In combination with COVID-19 development in China, we track down the main reasons for the temporary disruption and the government’s response to this major public health crisis. We mainly examine the tension between the centralization of power in China’s governance structure and the effectiveness of local governance, and the control of local governments in information disclosure. The response to a public health crisis and the optimization of a decision-making mechanism should build tension between the centralization of power and effectiveness of local governance. It is suggested that government should disclose and share information to the public timely and pay more attention to the core value of order in crisis management.

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