Risk communication during local COVID-19 outbreak

1. Seminar on Risk Communication:Local COVID-19 outbreak Basirah Anati binti Basaruddin Nur Izyan binti Muhammad Ramdan Fairuz Alia binti Rafiai Nur Hairi binti Nahar Nadzirah Binti Mohamad Yusof Ahmad Zhafir bin Zulkfli @ Zulkifli

2. OUTLINE

3. Introduction The purpose of risk communication is to enable people at risk to make informed decisions to mitigate the effects of a threat (hazard) – such as a disease outbreak – and take protective and preventive measures. Malaysia's effective risk communication helped mitigate misinformation and public confusion during the early outbreaks. Basirah Anati Basaruddin

4. USEPA, 2018

5. Risk Communication Definition: • Risk communication is "an interactive process of exchanging information and opinions among individuals, groups, and institutions" (NRC, 1989). • It involves purposeful communication about health or environmental risks between stakeholders (Covello et al., 1986). • Key focus: Reducing uncertainty during crises, providing actionable advice, and building public trust (WHO, 2002). Basirah Anati Basaruddin

7. Importance of Risk Communication Seven Cardinal Rules for Risk Communication (Covello, 1986): Crisis Context: In times of high stress and uncertainty, like during a pandemic, effective risk communication: • Accept and involve the public as a legitimate partner. • Listen to the public’s concerns. • Addresses public concerns and misconceptions. • Be honest, frank, and open. • Helps manage fear and prevent panic phenomena. • Coordinate with credible sources. • Supports informed decision-making for public safety. • Meet media needs. • Speak clearly and with compassion. • Plan and evaluate communication efforts carefully. Dual Nature: Risk communication operates in real-time management during crises and in planned management to preempt potential risks.

8. Malaysia’s Early COVID-19 Outbreaks Timeline of Key Events: 1 Communicationchallenges: • January 25, 2020: First three cases detected (imported cases). • Public confusion over rapidly changing SOPs. • February 27, 2020: Tabligh gathering in Selangor identified as a superspreading event. • Spread of misinformation on social media, such as false cures and rumors about lockdowns. 2 • March 18, 2020: Implementation of Movement Control Order (MCO). Importance of Communication: Effective messaging ensured compliance with measures like quarantine and social distancing, which were vital during the early days of the pandemic. 3

9. Application During COVID-19 During Malaysia’s initial outbreaks, effective risk communication ensured timely updates, clear messaging, and reduced misinformation Example: Daily updates by the Ministry of Health (MOH) utilized multiple communication channels to inform and educate the public, emphasizing transparency and accountability.

10. Malaysia records more recoveries than new COVID-19 cases in the last 7 days

11. Figure: Malaysia’s GDP Q1 2017 to Q1 2020 (Department of Statics, Malaysia (2020)) Wahab (2020)

12. Risk Risk Risk Planning an Effective Risk Communication Nur Izyan Muhammad Ramdan

13. Principles for Risk Communication

14. The 6 Principles of CERC Be First: Crises are time-sensitive. Communicating information quickly is crucial. For members of the public, the fist source of information often becomes the preferred source. Be Right: Accuracy established credibility. Information can include what is known, what is not known, and what is being done to fill in the gaps. Be Credible: Honesty and truthfulness should not be compromised during crises.

15. The 6 Principles of CERC Express Empathy: Crises create harm, and the suffering should be acknowledged in words. Addressing what people are feeling, and the challenges they face, builds trust and rapport. Promote Action: Giving people meaningful things to do calms anxiety, helps restore order, and promotes some sense of control. Show Respect: Respectful communication is particularly important when people feel vulnerable. Respectful communication promotes cooperation and rapport.

16. The role of risk communication in the risk management cycle • Risk communication is central and continuous throughout the risk management cycle and supports all stages • Facilitates clear information exchange between experts, decision-makers, and the public. • Ensures transparency, trust and stakeholder engagement during decision-making. • Enables feedback and adaptation to improve risk management outcome Reference: Infanti, J., Sixsmith, J., Barry, M. M., Núñez-Córdoba, J., Oroviogoicoechea-Ortega, C., & Guillén-Grima, F. (2013). A literature review on effective risk communication for the prevention and control of communicable diseases in Europe. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. https://doi.org/10.2900/64747

17. Planning Process for Risk Communication Leadership and Team Setup Leadership and Team Setup 2. Stakeholder and Audience Mapping 3. Message Development and Channel Selection 4. Communication Coordination and Monitoring 5. Evaluation and Adaptation

18. Leadership and Team Setup • Critical Role of Leadership: • Strong leadership provides authority, credibility, and clear direction. • Leaders serve as trusted spokespersons, enhancing public confidence. • Establishment of Communication Teams: • Dedicated teams with defined roles ensure coordinated, timely messaging. • Roles include spokespersons, media liaisons, social media managers, and rumor monitors. • Capacity Building and Training: • Ongoing training prepares teams to respond rapidly and effectively. • Simulations and drills improve coordination during crises.

19. Leadership and Team Setup • MOH took strong leadership role early on, with health DG becoming key spokesperson. • Daily press briefings signal high level commitment to transparency • The CPRC’s daily briefings, coordinated monitoring, and multimedia education were key components of Malaysia’s risk communication strategy to inform, engage, and guide the public during COVID-19. • MOH worked closely with MKN, state and local health depts, NGOs, media agencies, local leaders.

20. Planning Process for Risk Communication Leadership and Team Setup 2. Stakeholder and Audience Mapping 3. Message Development and Channel Selection 4. Communication Coordination and Monitoring 5. Evaluation and Adaptation

21. 2. Stakeholder  & Audience Mapping • Understanding all relevant groups and stakeholders involved in or affected by communication efforts • Key Stakeholders in Malaysia • Federal government agencies (MOH, national Security Council) • State and local health departments • Media Organization (mainstream and social media platforms) • Community leaders/ NGOs • Vulnerable populations (eg: migrant workers, elderly, indigenous communities) • Audience Segmentation • Rural vs Urban • Multilingual Audience • Socioeconomic Diversity

22. 2. Stakeholder  & Audience Mapping • COVID-19 information posters in different languages to target diff populations and ethnic groups

23. Planning Process for Risk Communication Leadership and Team Setup 2. Stakeholder and Audience Mapping 3. Message Development and Channel Selection 4. Communication Coordination and Monitoring 5. Evaluation and Adaptation

24. 3. Message Development & Channel Selection Clear, Consistent Messaging: • Develop simple, truthful, and actionable messages. • Address uncertainties openly to build trust. • Tailor messages to cultural and linguistic diversity. Audience-Centered Approach: • Customize messages for different groups (urban/rural, language, age). • Use local examples and relatable contexts. Multi-Channel Dissemination: • Combine traditional media (TV, radio, newspapers) with digital platforms (social media, websites). • Use hotlines and community outreach for two-way communication

25. MOH Communication Channels 1. Multi-Channel Dissemination 2. Audience-centred approach

26. Planning Process for Risk Communication Leadership and Team Setup 2. Stakeholder and Audience Mapping 3. Message Development and Channel Selection 4. Communication Coordination and Monitoring 5. Evaluation and Adaptation

27. 4. Communication Coordination & Monitoring • Coordination ensures consistent and unified messaging across agencies to avoid confusion and build public trust. • Joint Information Centers: centralize information dissemination and media relations during emergencies. • Continuous monitoring of public sentiment and misinformation through social media, hotlines, and community feedback is critical to adaptive communication.

28. M’sia COVID-19 Risk Communication ecosystem • Multiple interconnected layers • Official bodies: Set policies • Implementation: State and local SOPs adapt (to regional context) and implement policies • Media: Complementary roles to ensure messages reached both urban and rural audiences effectively • Local Influencers: Religious leaders, community groups, village networks convey info to community, build trust and encourage compliance. Reference: Rahman, S. (2022). Communicating COVID-19 effectively in Malaysia: Challenges and recommendations (Trends in Southeast Asia, TRS3/22). ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute. https://bookshop.iseas.edu.sg/publication/1629

29. M’sia COVID-19 Risk Communication ecosystem • Significance: • It reflects the country’s linguistic, cultural, and social diversity and the need for coordinated multi-level communication strategies during the pandemic. • Ensuring that official messages were adapted and disseminated widely through trusted community and media networks. Reference: Rahman, S. (2022). Communicating COVID-19 effectively in Malaysia: Challenges and recommendations (Trends in Southeast Asia, TRS3/22). ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute. https://bookshop.iseas.edu.sg/publication/1629

30. Planning Process for Risk Communication Leadership and Team Setup 2. Stakeholder and Audience Mapping 3. Message Development and Channel Selection 4. Communication Coordination and Monitoring 5. Evaluation and Adaptation

31. 5. Evaluation and Adaptation • Continuous evaluation is essential to measure communication effectiveness and impact (WHO ERC Guideline, 2017). • Adapt messages and strategies based on evolving situations and public needs to maintain trust and relevance. • Evaluation and adaptation: ensures risk communication remains dynamic, responsive, and effective over time • How? • Use feedback from communities, social media monitoring, and surveys to identify gaps and misinformation. • Conduct after-action reviews and lessons-learned exercises post-crisis to improve future communication plans.

32. Obstacles to Effective Communication Reference: Rahman, S. (2022). Communicating COVID-19 effectively in Malaysia: Challenges and recommendations (Trends in Southeast Asia, TRS3/22). ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute. https://bookshop.iseas.edu.sg/publication/1629

33. Types of Message Distortion Fairuz Alia btRafiai

34. Infodemic – too much information include false and misleading info in digital and physical environment during disease outbreak (WHO,2020)Can cause confusion and risk-taking behaviorLeads to mistrust to authorities and undermines public health response – Expansion of social media and internet use – information can spread more rapidly 

35. WHAT IS MESSAGE DISTORTION?

36. 7 Type of Message Distortion

37. 1.Content Distortion

38. 2. Contextual Distortion

39. 3. Emotional/ Psychological Distortion

40. 4. Cultural/Linguistic Distortions

41. 5. Visual/Graphic Distortions

42. 6. Medium-Related Distortions

43. 7. Temporal Distortions

44. (Hansson et al., 2021)

45. Global Rumour, Stigma, Conspiracy related COVID-19 Porat, T., Nyrup, R., Calvo, R. A., Paudyal, P., & Ford, E. (2020). Public Health and Risk Communication During COVID-19-Enhancing Psychological Needs to Promote Sustainable Behavior Change.

46. Impact Message Distortion in Public Health Emergency

47. References for COVID-19 Infodemic

48. Risk Communication Model & Errors in Process Nur Hairi Nahar

49. Emergency / Crisis Preparedness and Communications Focus on right information reaches the right people at the right time Focus on actions at each stage Supporting every phase of emergency management

50. Risk Communication Modelstructured approaches of RC Aim: Ensure the right (information, people, time) Fostering trust Empowering informed decisions Theory/ Models: Cross-cutting theories and models: These are applicable across the different phases of an emergency, including preparedness, response, and recovery. Phase-specific theories and models: These are most relevant within a specific phase of an event relevant to homeland security (terrorist attacks & earthquakes) Useful for federal, state, and local emergency managers. • (Sheppard et al., 2012)