scholarly journals Obedience in times of COVID-19 pandemics: a renewed governmentality of unease?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Didier Bigo ◽  
Elspeth Guild ◽  
Elif Mendos Kuskonmaz
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Contact Tracing ◽  
Original Form ◽  
Public Health Emergencies ◽  
Basic Reaction ◽  
Variable Success ◽  
Politics Of Fear ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Border Controls

This article transects and articulates different disciplines and lines of thought in order to understand the redefinitions of the boundaries of political power in times of COVID-19, and the practices which may outlive the potential normalisation of the crisis when an efficient vaccine is discovered. We claim that the COVID-19 pandemic is an original form of governmentality by unease articulating three dimensions. First, the basic reaction of modern states when faced with uncertainty is to apply national-territorial logics of controls. Second, bureaucracies consider the virus as a danger to security and organise public health emergencies according to the rules of the game of national security, creating tensions between internal security, public health and the economy because policymakers may be unsure about the priorities and may prioritise border controls. Third, resistance against the chosen national policies show that people are not led by a politics of fear and/or protection, but rather their own concerns about themselves with peer-to-peer surveillance as a key element of their compliance. Contact tracing technologies and strategies of border controls are key elements to analyse. We do so in different contexts: the UK, the EU and Turkey.<br /><br />Key messages<br /><ul><li>The COVID-19 pandemic is an original form of governmentality by unease.</li><br /><li>The new COVID-19 approach of many Schengen states was to change their measures from ones which block people from travelling to ones which dissuade people from travelling on account of the consequences.</li><br /><li>The arena of public health provides opportunities for a wide variety to actors to enter the data collection sphere where their actions face less public resistance because of the variable success of the politics of fear project accompanying state measures to fight the pandemic.</li></ul>

The UK COVID-19 contact tracing app as both an emerging technology and public health intervention: The need to consider promissory discourses

2021 ◽  
pp. 136345932110607
Author(s):  
Gabrielle Samuel ◽  
Rosie Sims
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
Public Health Intervention ◽  
Health Intervention ◽  
Contact Tracing ◽  
The Public ◽  
Sociology Of Expectations ◽  
Short Period ◽  
The Media ◽  
The Uk

The UK’s National Health Service (NHS) COVID-19 contact tracing app was announced to the British public on 12th April 2020. The UK government endorsed the app as a public health intervention that would improve public health, protect the NHS and ‘save lives’. On 5th May 2020 the technology was released for trial on the Isle of Wight. However, the trial was halted in June 2020, reportedly due to technological issues. The app was later remodelled and launched to the public in September 2020. The rapid development, trial and discontinuation of the app over a short period of a few months meant that the mobilisation and effect of the discourses associated with the app could be traced relatively easily. In this paper we aimed to explore how these discourses were constructed in the media, and their effect on actors – in particular, those who developed and those who trialled the app. Promissory discourses were prevalent, the trajectory of which aligned with theories developed in the sociology of expectations. We describe this trajectory, and then interpret its implications in terms of infectious disease public health practices and responsibilities.

scholarly journals Government Epidemic Prevention and Economic Growth Path Under Public Health Emergency: Theoretical Model and Simulation Analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhichao Yin ◽  
Xiaoxu Chen ◽  
Zongshu Wang ◽  
Lijin Xiang
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Economic Growth ◽  
Theoretical Model ◽  
Simulation Analysis ◽  
Close Contact ◽  
Public Health Emergency ◽  
Contact Tracing ◽  
Growth Path ◽  
Public Health Emergencies ◽  
Economic Output

This paper constructs a partial equilibrium model under public health emergency shocks based on economic growth theory, and investigates the relationship between government intervention and virus transmission and economic growth path. We found that both close contacts tracing measures and isolation measures are beneficial to human capital stock and economic output per capita, and the effect of close contact tracing measures is better than that of isolation measures. For infectious diseases of different intensities, economic growth pathways differed across interventions. For low contagious public health emergencies, the focus should be on the coordination of isolation and tracing measures. For highly contagious public health emergencies, strict isolation, and tracing measures have limited effect in repairing the negative economic impact of the outbreak. The theoretical model provides a basic paradigm for the future researches to study economic growth under health emergencies, with good scalability and robustness.

scholarly journals Women Leaders and Policy Compliance during a Public Health Crisis

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 975-982
Author(s):  
Nichole M. Bauer ◽  
Jeong Hyun Kim ◽  
Yesola Kweon
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Contact Tracing ◽  
Public Health Issue ◽  
Political Leader ◽  
Policy Recommendations ◽  
Policy Compliance ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Public Health Crisis ◽  
Policy Measures

AbstractHow does the gender of a political leader affect policy compliance of the public during a public health crisis? State and national leaders have taken a variety of policy measures to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, with varying levels of success. While many female leaders have been credited with containing the spread of COVID-19, often through implementing strict policy measures, there is little understanding of how individuals respond to public health policy recommendations made by female and male leaders. This article investigates whether citizens are more willing to comply with strict policy recommendations about a public health issue when those recommendations are made by a female leader rather than a male leader. Using a survey experiment with American citizens, we compare individuals’ willingness to comply with policy along three dimensions: social distancing, face covering, and contact tracing. Our findings show that a leader's gender has little impact on policy compliance in general during the pandemic. These findings carry important implications for successful crisis management as well as understanding how a crisis in a nonmasculine issue context influences the effectiveness of a leader's ability to implement measures to mitigate the crisis.

scholarly journals 13.A. Workshop: Responding to COVID19 in Europe: a tale of five countries

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
World Health ◽  
Contact Tracing ◽  
Outbreak Management ◽  
Eu Countries ◽  
Incidence And Mortality ◽  
The World ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Population Attitudes

Abstract Since emerging from a market in Wuhan China in December 2019, SARS-CoV-2, the pathogen causing COVID-19, has spread worldwide. On January 30th 2020 the World Health Organization declared the COVID19 outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, and declared it a pandemic on March 11th 2020. With over 2.4 million cases and 180,000 deaths reported by mid-June, Europe has been the second most affected region in the world. Individual countries such as Italy and the UK have been amongst the hardest hit in the world. However, the COVID19 situation in Europe is marked by wide variations both in terms of how countries have been affected, and in terms of how they have responded. The proposed workshop will provide compare and contrast the situation and response in five countries in the European region: The UK, Italy, Poland, Portugal and Sweden, moderated by a firm and charismatic chair. This interactive workshop will enable better understanding of the disease's spread and trajectory in different EU countries. International comparisons will help to describe the growth and scale of the pandemic in the selected EU countries. The choice of countries reflects those that have reported high and low incidence and mortality, as well as represent a range in the strictness of the control measures implemented, from full lockdown to the most permissive. The session will go beyond describing those and will be an opportunity to discuss the pros and cons of these different approaches and lessons learnt around the different components of the response such as case identification, contact tracing, testing, social distancing, mask use, health communication and inequalities. We plan to have short and effective 5 min presentations followed by a longer and constructively provocative moderated discussion. Importantly, the five European case studies will offer ground to discuss the public health principles behind outbreak management preparedness and balancing public health with other imperatives such as economic ones, but also social frustration. The audience will be engaged through a Q&A session. Key messages The approach to managing the COVID19 outbreak has varied among European countries, and the optimal approach is likely to be context specific. The effect of the pandemic will be long term and public health imperatives must take population attitudes and behavior as well as economic and indirect health effects into account.

scholarly journals Applications of GIS and Geospatial analyses in COVID-19 research: A systematic review

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rakibul Ahasan ◽  
Shaharier Alam ◽  
Torit Chakraborty ◽  
Md Mahbub Hossain
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Information Science ◽  
Economic Modeling ◽  
Contact Tracing ◽  
Current Evidence ◽  
Public Health Emergencies ◽  
Geospatial Tools ◽  
Spatio Temporal ◽  
Temporal Dimensions

Geographic Information Science (GIS) had established itself as a distinct domain and incredibly useful whenever the research is related to geography, space, and other spatio-temporal dimensions. However, the scientific landscape on the integration of GIS in the COVID related studies is largely unknown. In this systematic review, we assessed the current evidence on the implementation of GIS and other geospatial tools and technologies in COVID-19 pandemic. We systematically retrieved and reviewed 79 research articles that either directly used GIS or other Geospatial tools as part of their analysis. We grouped the identified papers under six broader thematic groups based on the objectives and research questions of the study- environmental, socio-economic, and cultural, public health, spatial transmission, computer-aided modeling, and data mining. The interdisciplinary nature of how geographic and spatial analysis was used in COVID-19 research was noticeable among the reviewed papers. Although GIS has substantial potential in planning to slow down the spread, surveillance, contact tracing, and identify the trends and hotspots of breakdowns, it was not employed as much as it could have been. This review not only provided an overarching view on how GIS has been used in COVID-19 research so far but also concluded that this geospatial analysis and technologies could be used in future public health emergencies along with statistical and other socio-economic modeling techniques. Our systematic review also provides how both scientific communities and policymakers could leverage GIS to extract useful information to make an informed decision in the coming days.

Digital mHealth and Virtual Care Use in Pandemics: Part 1 – A Rapid Landscape Review of Interventions Used Internationally During COVID-19 in 4 Countries (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alison Müller ◽  
Alessandro Cau ◽  
Muhammed Semakula ◽  
Peter Lodokiyiia ◽  
Osman Abdullahi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Patient Care ◽  
Grey Literature ◽  
Text Message ◽  
Rapid Expansion ◽  
Contact Tracing ◽  
Virtual Care ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
The Uk

BACKGROUND As a result of the Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, significantly fewer patients are able to communicate with their health care practitioners (HCPs) as a result of internationally encouraged physical distancing. This has led to an unprecedented rapid expansion of digital tools to provide digitalized virtual care globally, especially mobile phone facilitated health interventions, called mHealth. To help keep abreast of different mHealth and virtual care technologies being used internationally to facilitate patient care and public health during the COVID-19 pandemic we did a rapid investigation of solutions being deployed and considered in 4 countries. OBJECTIVE To evaluate mHealth, and digital and contact tracing technologies being used in healthcare among 4 countries. METHODS This data was procured by accessing a variety of resources including grey literature, government & health organization websites, in addition to contacting our collaborators in Canada, the UK, Rwanda, and Kenya. We specifically requested information regarding various mHealth and virtual care interventions being used to facilitate patient care and public health, such as case contact tracing. RESULTS We identified a variety of technology in Canada, the UK, Rwanda, and Kenya being used for patient care and public health. The afore-mentioned countries are using both video and text-message based platforms to facilitate communication with HCPs (ex. WelTel, Zoom). Nationally-developed contact-tracing apps are provided free to the public, with most of them using Bluetooth-based technology. We identified that often multiple complimentary technologies are being utilized for different aspects of patient care and public health with the common purpose to disseminate information safely. CONCLUSIONS Virtual care and mHealth technologies have evolved rapidly as a tool for health care support for both patient care and public health. It is evident that, on an international level, a variety of mHealth and virtual care interventions, often in combination, are required to be able to address patient care and public health concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic. CLINICALTRIAL N/A

scholarly journals COVID-19: public health management of the first two confirmed cases identified in the UK

2020 ◽  
Vol 148 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Holden ◽  
A. Quinney ◽  
S. Padfield ◽  
W. Morton ◽  
S. Coles ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Fast Moving ◽  
Health Management ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Contact Tracing ◽  
The Public ◽  
First Case ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Public Health Management

Abstract We report key learning from the public health management of the first two confirmed cases of COVID-19 identified in the UK. The first case imported, and the second associated with probable person-to-person transmission within the UK. Contact tracing was complex and fast-moving. Potential exposures for both cases were reviewed, and 52 contacts were identified. No further confirmed COVID-19 cases have been linked epidemiologically to these two cases. As steps are made to enhance contact tracing across the UK, the lessons learned from earlier contact tracing during the country's containment phase are particularly important and timely.

scholarly journals Strengthening government’s response to COVID-19 in Indonesia: a modified Delphi study of medical and health academics

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yodi Mahendradhata ◽  
Trisasi Lestari ◽  
Riyanti Djalante
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health System ◽  
Delphi Study ◽  
Contact Tracing ◽  
Government Officials ◽  
Public Health Emergencies ◽  
Government Response ◽  
Modified Delphi ◽  
Score Card ◽  
Strengthening Health System

AbstractThe Indonesian government has issued various policies to control COVID-19. However, COVID-19 new cases continued to increase and there remains uncertainties as to the future trajectory. We aimed to investigate how do medical and health academics view the Indonesian government’s handling of the COVID-19 and which area of health systems that need to be prioritized to improve government’s response to COVID-19. We conducted a modified Delphi study adapting the COVID-19 assessment score card (COVID-SCORE) as the measurement criteria. We invited medical and health academics from ten universities across Indonesia to take part in the Delphi study. In the first round, participants were presented with 20 statements of COVID-SCORE and asked to rate their agreement with each statement using five-point Likert scale. All participants who have completed the first cycle were invited to participate in the second cycle in which they had the opportunity to revise their answer based on results of previous cycle and to rank a priority of actions to improve government response. We achieved consensus for 5 statements, majority agreements for 13 statements and no consensus for 2 statements. The prioritization suggested that top priorities for improving government’s response to COVID-19 in Indonesia, according to medical and health academics, encompass: (1) The authorities communicate clearly and consistently about COVID-19 and provide public health grounds for their decisions; (2) Everyone can get a free, reliable COVID-19 test quickly and receive the results promptly; (3) Contact tracing is implemented for positive cases; (4) Public health experts, government officials, and academic researchers agree on COVID-19 nomenclature and clearly explain the reasons for public health measures; and (5) Government communications target the entire diverse population. Ultimately, our study highlights the importance of strengthening health system functions during the pandemic and to improve health system resilience for dealing with future public health emergencies.

scholarly journals Are COVID-19 conspiracies a threat to public health? Psychological characteristics and health protective behaviours of believers

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie Juanchich ◽  
Miroslav Sirota ◽  
Daniel Jolles ◽  
lilith whiley
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Psychological Characteristics ◽  
Contact Tracing ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Health Initiatives ◽  
Conspiracy Beliefs ◽  
Mind Set ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Protective Behaviours

The fast-changing COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to many conspiracy theories, and these have the potential to undermine public health measures and safeguarding behaviours. We conducted three studies before and during the COVID-19 lockdown in the United Kingdom (UK) (n = 302, 404 and 399) to (i) identify the prevalence of COVID-19 conspiracy theories in the UK, (ii) map their socio-psychological predictors, and (iii) investigate their association with health safeguarding behaviours. We found COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs were prevalent (25% of participants endorsed at least one) and predicted by beliefs in unrelated conspiracies, a conspiracy mind-set, distrust in governmental authorities, education, and cognitive reflection. Unexpectedly, COVID-19 conspiracy believers adhered to basic health guidelines both before and after the lockdown as strictly as non-believers (e.g., washing hands, social distancing) and adopted more advanced health protective behaviours not (yet) officially recommended in the UK (e.g., wearing a mask, washing groceries with soap). Conspiracy believers were also more reluctant to install the contact-tracing app, get tested for and vaccinated against COVID-19 because of the perceived risks associated with these procedures. We discuss psychological characteristics that explain the relationship between conspiracy beliefs and people’s behaviours and intentions, and suggest practical recommendations for public health initiatives.

scholarly journals The Exceptional Becomes Everyday: Border Control, Attrition and Exclusion from Within

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 329
Author(s):  
Regina C. Serpa
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Social Exclusion ◽  
Welfare States ◽  
Public Health Emergency ◽  
Border Control ◽  
Hostile Environment ◽  
Global Public Health ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Border Controls

This article examines processes of migration and border control, illustrating the ways by which everyday housing and welfare services function as mechanisms of exclusion in both direct and indirect ways. Using the thesis of crimmigration, the article demonstrates how border controls have become deeply implicated in systems claiming to offer welfare support—and how a global public health emergency has intensified exclusionary processes and normalised restrictive practices. The article compares border controls in two localities—under the UK government’s coercive ‘hostile environment’ policies (based on technologies of surveillance) and a more indirect ‘programme of discouragement’ in The Netherlands (based on technologies of attrition). The study demonstrates the role of contemporary welfare states in entrenching inequality and social exclusion (from within), arguing that the exceptional circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic have facilitated the differential everyday treatment of migrants, revealing a hierarchy of human worth through strategies of surveillance and attrition.

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