17.04.2020Salience of effective public communication and transparency during Covid-19

Supriya Subramani, postdoctoral fellow at the IBME, recently published an article on the blog of HEaL Institute & IJME discussing public communication strategies, transparency and inclusivity during the Covid-19 epidemic.

Abstract

On April 14, 2020, the three-week lockdown was extended till May 03. Following the announcement, Bandra Railway station and few other places saw thousands of migrant workers coming out in protest and demanding to be allowed to return to their homes. We all witnessed the hardships of migrant workers following the initial announcement of the lockdown on March 25, 2020. One wonders if the governments—both at the center and state—considered inclusive approaches in planning out their strategies, while also considering how they affect citizens, particularly the marginalized and vulnerable groups. In this piece, I emphasize that the two intertwined ethical issues, transparent effective communication and inclusive decisions, based on justice are non-negotiable ethical obligations by the state during pandemics, such as Covid-19.

Full text:

https://fmesinstitute.org/blog-4-heal-institute-ijme-covid-19-insights-april-15-2020/