Kuwaiti writer and media professional Mohammed AlMulla said: “At the onset of the pandemic, the messaging by government entities and officials was analysed to measure the effectiveness of their communication. Those who are able to speak intelligently and convincingly in front of an audience are perceived as more credible and capable, and this is no less true for governments. Governments everywhere not only have had to fight the virus, but also people’s mistrust of the media or official information. The UAE’s and GCC’s crisis preparedness ahead of time helped us tackle the issue, but so did putting out the right messaging and raising people’s awareness of their own collective role in fighting the pandemic. Crisis management is both a science and an art, and when used as a tool along with proper governance, it raises collective awareness by leaps and bounds. Even the restrictions placed during the pandemic are a way of shaping collective consciousness about public health benefits.”
Editor-in-Chief of the Emarat Al Youm newspaper, Sami Al Reyami, cited confidence in official communication as the most effective element in delivering messages to the public. “The key reason for the UAE’s successful handling of the Covid-19 crisis is the total confidence that nationals and residents had in the official procedures implemented. While fear and panic were rampant worldwide, just two simple words – ‘don’t worry’ – from His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, quelled the fears of people in the UAE. The stability we witnessed during the countrywide National Disinfection Programme, over a two-month period proved that even a simple message can go a long way in building public confidence,” Al Reyami said.
“The bigger crisis we faced was the false information epidemic – or ‘infodemic’ – of people spreading misinformation without the need for backing it up with true and authentic facts. The virus itself is less dangerous than the wrong information surrounding it. The UAE employed a direct and indirect approach to combat this, using statements and actions by the leaders and social media messaging to dispel wrong facts and convey the right actions to be followed by the public during the pandemic,” he added.
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