First the Crisis, then stabilization. Now onto the difficult phase, recovery. Are we there yet?

The global pandemic known as COVID-19 has spread throughout the world and impacted each continent at different intervals and velocity of transmission. It has brought with it, uncertain economic uncertainty and chain reactions that many government leaders are beginning to recognize as difficult to deal with. Some nations as of this writing are at the beginning of the pandemic (India) while others have decided to take a very low profile approach (Sweden) and escalate only as necessary. Epidemiologists have been thrust into the media spotlight, which for many is not where they want to be. They prefer their focus remain on tackling the virus itself, not attend press conferences that have critical eyes and ears looking for an opening to ask questions that many journalists do not even know what they are asking that enables several different conspiracy theories to run rampant. One example is the widespread distribution on the internet that is fueling anti-vaxxer followers to gain traction where none actually exists.

Experienced Crisis and Disaster management teams knew this scenario would unfold on a grand scale spanning different cultures, political systems, religions and doctrine. Pandemic simulation exercises have been run since the beginning of the 21st century. The initial scenarios and results were not frightening to analyze because most believed solutions could be found to the weaknesses discovered. But as technology and virology assessment tools improved, so has the accuracy of simulations how a pandemic would spread. Simulation analytical programs and scenario planning improved dramatically after several pandemics swept across the world between 2000 and 2016. As disaster management and medical knowledge improved, simulation accuracy and outcomes came into focus with sobering outcomes and conclusions.

From a scientific perspective, it has become clear that preparedness and early decision making, are critical to any outcome. But none of the scenarios or models could predict a critical element; political acceptance and initiative to follow  recommendations or expert consensus. Some governments have followed recommended guidelines while others have not. Crisis managers and academic circles will publish hundreds of reports analyzing the consequences as the crisis subsides.

All three phases of this pandemic have struggled with the scientific - political equation. No one region has got it completely right or wrong. To err is to be human. This is only portion of the explanation that reflects our current environment that we are all now facing.

Listed at the bottom of this blog, are links to regular updates by scientific institutions, and government health organizations from all over the world. By no means is the list complete. Post a comment with a link to any government health organization that uses RSS and we will add them to our list. These feeds are regularly updated using RSS code, that allows a user to be informed with updated information from various sources. We have collected RSS feeds relevant to the Coronavirus pandemic wherever possible. Over the coming weeks we will also begin to collect scientific papers and make them available using our file server as a central repository for analysis and public distribution.

No one single protocol is going to stop COVID19 from spreading person to person. It’s a combination of steps that includes simply following the standard protocol for COVID19 protection, then you and your family will be fine and in the process, allow doctors and nurses to take care of those infected.

• Wash your hands after touching any unknown surfaces such as door handles, knobs, counter-tops, glass windows, etc. Above all, do not touch your face when you come into contact with these surfaces. Once you wash and dry your hands, then proceed to thoroughly wash your face and dry, then repeat washing your hands again.
• When you go shopping, wash your hands for 20 seconds or use a alcohol based hand gel cleaner after every trip. Then wipe down exterior wrapping of products you buy when you get home. Then wash your hands again, all the while, avoid touching your face.
• Do not go out of you have a pre-existing condition or over the age of 60.
• If required to work in close proximity to others, wear approved N-95 respirator mask, to reduce your exposure risk to the virus. Know how to put on, use and dispose of the respirator properly or its effectiveness will be eliminated.
• Adhere to social distancing of 6 feet or greater. Stay away from people who do not adhere to social distance requirements.
• Stay away from work if required to be within 6′ of a coworker.
• Avoid buses, airliners and cruise ships, shopping malls, movie theatres, theme parks, etc.
• Do not attend gatherings of more than 5 people. Especially if you do not know them.

• Do not flush sanitary products, masks or gloves down your toilet, they will clog your cities sewage system!

• Stay safe and stay at home to protect yourself and your family by following all local, state and federal health orders. 

Do not expect Social Media to be accountable during a Crisis or Disaster

Social Media accountability: Zero

Who is responsible and accountable during a crisis for Crisis Response information? Photo (c) 2016 DDRS

The terrorist attacks that occurred this morning in Belgium killing over 30 people and hundreds of casualties has generated complaints that Facebook should have activated its Safety Check application for use by the public.

In an article by the Independent newspaper, they noticed Tweets complaining about the lack of response by Facebook and 'failure' to activate immediately its Safety Check application. The Washington Times also posted a story noting Facebook's delay.

Eventually it was turned on to allow people to check in via social media to see if loved ones were safe. It was a matter of time before some would complain and lash out at Facebook. Are such complaints warranted? Should they be held accountable and monitor world events? The answer is no.

In fact, large corporations like Facebook are diving into a space that they have little experience in managing. They are not public safety experts and nor are they in a position to be held accountable. There are several issues Facebook and other social media companies should be cautious and in some cases, not participate. Companies like Facebook have no jurisdiction when such events occur. The collection, usage and monitoring of an event for use in public safety is fraught with legal entanglements that could expose the company to litigation, let alone bad publicity.

To have a for profit company like Facebook, the consequences could be significant. There are numerous implications as well including privacy, data manipulation, archiving, and data security issues. Complicating it further is who makes the decision when to activate and what regions. Notification of its activation could easily spark further misinformation and generate fear that fuels further pandemonium.

Facebook is not a Public Safety Agency and nor are they a service provider to any government agency that recognizes it as such. There are no regulations or policy enforcement programs that support such actions that are compatible across multiple jurisdictions. Access to the information and how it is managed does not have any protocol or procedures that can be monitored by authorities to ensure it complies to local, regional, or national laws. Facebook's terms and conditions are already under the microscope at the European Union level, let alone Brussels.

Accountability of when, how and where alerting the public to its use creates further complications. Facebook may require an entire new organization that can properly fulfill such obligations and follow very specific laws that have ramifications that I doubt the company would desire.

Google's missing person's portal faces the same issues. It has only activated it during a large scale natural disaster when local and national resources are severely strained or completely destroyed. Even so, during such events, Google is entering the deep end of potential liability and accountability that could have repercussions down the road as potential expectations surface. Google has several disasters under its belt and frequently interacts with public safety agencies all over the world. It has a dedicated group that works with international disaster response teams and organizations which helps offset some of the concerns.

Google hasn't been criticized for not activating its missing persons portal in response to the Brussels attack. It is easy to suggest that Facebook is more in direct touch with the public than Google. That isn't really true. Google could easily create a link on the front of its search page for people to use, as it has in the past during large scale disasters. But nobody has complained.

Technology can and has a role to play during a man made or natural crisis or disaster. But there are limits. What the threshold is and who makes these decisions are difficult policy and regulatory issues that need a solution. There is media hype and public pressure to do something during a crisis. But what makes a terrorist attack a high priority than say a large structural fire, that may in fact, have a higher fatality rate? Does this mean that Facebook should be ready to activate and monitor every structural fire that occurs around the world? I think not. Nor should they be in the business of monitoring such events. That in itself is fraught with legal ramifications.

Public Safety agencies are the organizations with accountability, jurisdiction and the only entities that should be trusted to manage these issues. While it is true that many government agencies are in a difficult position, they ultimately should be the point of contact. Large global for profit corporations like Facebook, Google, or Twitter should not be critical to your need to determine family and friends safety. These tools can be helpful, but they should not be relied upon. Feel free to use them because they do not cost anything and are an excellent alternative if other means are not available. But do not demand that they be in service when YOU want them to be.