‘Show empathy to slow virus spread’
CLEAR empathy with the plight of those hardest hit by Covid-19 restrictions is the only way world leaders will persuade their citizens to comply, the World Health Organisation’s regional director for Europe has said.
Dr Hans Kluge warned “pandemic fatigue” risks undermining strategies put in place to try to curb the second wave of the virus.
Speaking at a press briefing, Dr Kluge praised French President Emmanuel Macron for telling France’s youth “it is hard to be 20 in the year 2020”.
Dr Kluge said, according to WHO data, 60% of people in the EU member states say they are fed up with lockdown measures.
“There are different strategies but one size does not fit all and that comes back to empathy – it’s very important to show empathy,” he said.
The WHO is now advising governments to identify “influencers” within different communities to help them spread their Covid-19 messaging, rather than focusing on enforcement.
“Instead of pointing the finger, gather the data – this is ongoing in many, many countries – and based on the data, engage the communities,” Dr Kluge said. “Co-create solutions with the voice of the community and particularly influencers.”
He called for extra resources for mental health services and those at risk of becoming “collateral damage” of the virus, including children and those with pre-existing physical conditions.
“We need to take care of our exhausted health and other frontline workers – survey, compensate them (and) act decisively,” he said.
Meanwhile, cinemas have reopened in much of India with mostly old titles on screen, a sign of the country’s efforts to return to normal as the pace of coronavirus infections slows but also of the roadblocks that remain.
The return to cinemas after seven months of dark screens comes as India is registering the highest number of daily cases globally and is expected to soon top the list worldwide in terms of total number of reported infections, passing the United States.
But trends also suggest the spread is beginning to slow.
Nearly 10,000 cinemas closed in mid-March when the government imposed restrictions to fight the virus, which has torn through India, killing more than 110,000 people.
Cinemas are among the last public places to reopen, a hugely symbolic move in a country known the world over for the lavish productions pumped out by its Bollywood film industry.
Every year, the $2.8 billion (£2.1 billion) juggernaut produces more than 2,000 films that feature complex dance routines, singing and spectacularly large casts.