5 Things to ‘Contribute towards Stopping Spread of Coronavirus’, which Digital Marketers can Practice sitting @Home

Today we even don’t need to introduce that this column is about Covid-19, the ‘Community Spread’ danger which we are facing, the uncertainty about what it’s going to turn out in next 3 months, 6 months, 1 year & beyond, whether it’s about the risk of getting infected by this ‘mischievous virus’ or ‘impacted by the economic recession preceding it’, Covid-19 or Coronavirus what it’s called widely, is hanging on just at the top of our head-24 hours a day & unfortunately for mankind, it’s going to remain so for at least next few months, if not a year!

This ‘virus’ is in-discriminatory’ as it sees no ethnicity, no religion or caste or what strata of the society you belong to, it hits everyone the same way, across. Over a period of time, it is an established fact now that one of the most effective medicine to stop it from spreading & creating havoc for any country is- the Social Distancing Medicine which now in our country is been executed through strict regulation – ‘Complete Lock Down’.

As we pass into the 2nd week of lock-down in the next 3 days, what’s going to be most challenging is to keep continuing the lock-down effectively with 100% success as the following factors will start getting stronger & become a force to ‘not let it happen in totality’:

• the anxiety & impatience in people will go up
• the day wagers will start getting the pressure to go out & earn
• the new Home-Sitters who have never been used to ‘Social- Distancing’ in true sense throughout their life, many of them will not be able to cope up & can do mischievous things (JUGAD Ideas) & not follow this in totality
• the Govt. will also face a huge challenge of sustaining their efforts in getting these things implemented on the ground, particularly in remote places & in ‘rouge localities’

Such desperate situations have thrown more unwarranted risks like- people (the migratory population) thronging in thousands & lakh on Highways & at Railway stations in desperation to be back to their home town, their villages, which poses a huge danger of ‘community spread’ happening & case multiplying in millions and our healthcare ecosystem collapsing in future, which will be really bad for us as a Developing Nation as the damage will be multi-dimensional & irreversible and the burgeoning economic recession & unemployment will suffocate us as a country.

But such situations are also bringing forward the Real Heroes, be it the ‘REEL Heroes’ like Akshay Kumar getting into ‘Real Hero’ mode & announcing support of humongous Rs. 25 crores donation in one go, the great Philanthropists like Ratan Tata announcing Rs 500 crores support to PM Relief Fund- PM Cares & the group committing another Rs. 1500 crores to fight this situation & Anand Mahindra committing their Club Mahindra Resorts for use as Quarantine Centres & many such big & small initiatives happening in the form of cash & kind commitment by all cross-sections are it Industrialists, Celebrities, bodies like BCCI & the individuals coming forward & committing smaller amounts towards this cause.

The commitment showed by the Drs, Nurses & Health Workers & their on-duty dispensation till date has been phenomenal across the world & our country India & it’s ‘hardcore committed- ‘Healthcare Professionals’ are no less than anyone as far as their dedication & commitment goes towards their Patients & the humanity.

But such a grave situation which puts us in a ‘once in a century’ dock requires larger contribution & commitment & support coming in all forms — more the merrier & in smaller packets are also welcome as — boond boond se saagar banta hai.

Here’s my perspective on what we as Home-Sitters & the Social Media cum Digital Marketing Enthusiasts can CONTRIBUTE in their SMALL WAYS. Here’s I recommend 5 Initiatives which individuals & professionals like us should adopt to & create a BOOND Contribution MOMENT for oneself:

1. By Publishing Weekly e-Newsletter: Collecting all the relevant information and updates in a week around COVID-19, segregating them into different sections such as news section, columns of the experts on the prevention, latest updates from across the world and the upcoming preventive measures, relevant information can be easily circulated at least among the stakeholders, who might be spreading in geometric progression and hence spreading widely. Newsletters are often the life force of your marketing campaigns as it has its credibility in terms of information. As the credibility of the newsletter has been already established, so in times of crisis, if one provides authentic information on the prevention, people will rely on and follow whatever is being conveyed. This will go a long way in helping people prevent this pandemic.
2. Writing and sharing articles on the importance of ‘Physical Distancing’ to prevent COVID-19: Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic from China and its exponential spread in the developed countries like Italy, Germany, the US and the UK, bringing havoc, one of the most pertinent terms surfaced was ‘Social Distancing’ supposed to be the most effective preventive measure. But this is not enough as only social distancing without physical distancing won’t work. In fact, there is a thin line between social distancing and physical distancing. It is reported that people are maintaining social distancing but not physical distancing that’s why the spread is not curbed yet. It is abundantly clear that social distancing is a physical, not a social, requirement. Making people understand the difference and requirement of ‘Physical Distancing’ rather than ‘Social Distancing’ only, will go a long way in preventing this menace.
3. By creating daily social media posts to check on the panic: Despite the flood of information around COVID-19 pandemic, still, there is a dearth of credible information. And the under information is creating unnecessary panic in the masses. All the information available is neither credible nor catering to the actual requirement of the masses. Most of the information are panicky rather than preventive. While the focus must be there on the prevention. In such a situation if credible information on prevention based on the latest medical research is provided to the people, it will be a milestone in the direction of the curb. By making daily social media posts, resisting people from panic and helping them focus on prevention, this massive gap can be filled, thereby helping people to be more austere on the prevention and helping check the spread — the only way forward to come out of this cataclysm. And the daily social media posts will be quite helpful in this direction.
4. Curbing panic by profiling case studies of infected recovering: Panic around COVID-19 is absolutely creating more harm. No matter what it is about, wrong news spreads like wildfire. And no matter how globally destructive the Coronavirus might be, the rumours and fake news related to its authenticity and cure are spreading, especially through social media, making people panic, prompting to take unnecessarily extreme measures. At this point, it seems to be very essential not to propagate fear and misinformation. Rather, we need to use this as an opportunity to spread valuable information and instill peace among others citing the examples of the infected people recovering by proper treatment and caution. Especially, during this period of lock-down, when virtual platforms become primary modes of communication, the information around COVID-19 and suggesting unnecessary panic will be very important. To a greater extent, panic can be curbed by profiling the infected people recovering. And this can be easily done through different platforms of social media.
5. Debunking the myths and misconceptions around COVID-19 through social media: With nations entering lock-down in an effort to ‘flatten the curve’ of social interactions by means of social distancing, it is very important to refrain from placing one’s beliefs in any miraculous cures or conspiracy theories about COVID-19. There are some widely shared myths about the novel coronavirus that stand nowhere on the scale of scientific relevance — temperature, humidity could affect transmission rate of COVID-19; wearing a mask can prevent transmission of COVID-19; taking a hot bath can prevent infection; drinking alcohol can cure COVID-19; coronavirus affects only elderly, not young people and so many alike counting a few. These myths must be replaced by sharing with the people the right kind of scientifically proven information that might create awareness rather than an illusion in the masses, helping fight the pandemic.

Share your feedback on this story at drswadeep@hhconnect.in