The World Was Not Prepared

When I look back, over the last few months, I see nothing but a global screwup, of astronomical proportions.  If the world's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic isn't the quintessential example of  Murphy's Law, I don't know what is.  From the early mischaracterization of the virus as not being a global threat, to nations and local areas not having the resources, it's been a mess.

To make all this worse, it's clear that no one has set a long term communications plan, to report updates.  For example, here in the NY-NJ area, we typically get three, lengthy press conference style updates every day.  Each lasts anywhere from an hour, to an hour and a half.  Much of it is meant to be gracious, thanking the almost endless list of front-line personnel, to other government agencies, to individual patients.  A truly effective, long term communications plan would do three things:

1. Set a reasonable, bite-size time limit, for each daily presser.
2. Set standard times, for each presser.
3. Limit information to numbers concerning infection/death rates, changes in rates and resource availability.

To date, NOT ONE OF THOSE THINGS has been done.  The result is updates that go far beyond the ability of most audiences, to sustain interest, on a daily basis.  And as most communications experts will probably tell you, when you lose the audience, you are not communicating.  

Along the communications line, the leaders giving the updates have allowed political bickering, to confuse things.  In times of crisis, we expect our leaders to drop their ideologies and party affiliations by the door and work together.  It's both confusing and wrong, to see the Governor of New York and the Mayor of New York City "compete," for leadership.  Frequent contradictions of each other, on the closing and reopening of schools and need for resources.  And no one is excluded.  The White House offers its information, sometimes in contradiction with its own medical experts and confuses an already stressed public, by meshing scientific predictions and optimistic hopes.  All this isn't helpful.  And what surprises me most, is that we live in a generation that should have learned about good, long term communications plans from the days when FDR had his Fireside Chats and the Second World War raged on for six years.  Situations change, but people's desire for concise, consistent information hasn't.  NOT ONE BIT.

Leaving communications, we need to look at the disparity between the world military stockpile and each nation's stockpile of medical supplies, such as personal protective equipment, respirators, HAZMAT suits, ventilators, hospital beds and more.  Seems as if the world is far more prepared, for enemy troops coming ashore, dropping in from the sky, or sending missiles.  But we are blatantly unprepared, for the more insidious invasion by submicroscopic bits of biological matter . . .viruses.

There was a huge delay in enlisting in the help of one of the most vilified groups in America. . . and one that did more that anyone else, outside the military, in helping to end WW2 . . . Big Business.  There has been little done to thank Big Business, for pitching in, to retool their assembly lines, from making cars, to making badly needed ventilators.  Yet, getting Big Business involved should have been done far earlier and should have been part of a well thought out plan, to combat a possible world crippling pandemic.  When world leaders get together at their regular summits, what do they talk about?  If they did more than shake hands and sightsee, we might have had a plan in place.

At the local level, supermarkets allowed runs on toilet paper, hand sanitizer, cleaning supplies and bottled water to clear shelves, instead of noticing the demand and immediately placing purchase limits.  It might have prevented much of the hoarding which - in my opinion - is/should be a crime, during crisis.  Food and grocery logistics is still a shambles, with many shelves being bare or well cleaned out, because of a poor crisis-level supply chain.  People are more than happy to comply, with stay home orders, but we still need supplies.  And poor logistics only causes people to have to visit several stores - increasing their chance of exposure - to get needed food and supplies.

Some time ago, I heard that expression that crises bring out the best in people, and I want to believe that.  But when the hoarders cleaned out the shelves and others defiantly gathered for celebrations and parties (in large groups), I wonder.  When I see films of supermarket parking lots littered with gloves and masks potentially contaminated, I wonder.  When young people ignore warnings and gather for spring break, as if nothing were different, I wonder.  

I could go on and on.  And so could anyone else, experiencing this terrible situation.  For the future, world leaders need to get together, to develop a plan, so that world populations and world economies aren't decimated by biological entities that do not sign treaties or non-aggression pacts but wage war on an unsuspecting public, with potentially equal consequences as a military conflict.  The world will make it through this.  That I know.  But the world needs to think long and hard, about how to be better prepared.