Combating A Crisis

The first cases of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) were reported in December 2019 in Wuhan, the capital city of the Hubei province in China. In a short span of a few weeks, the highly infectious disease was exported to other cities in China and many countries including Singapore. For the first two months of 2020, Singapore's news headlines were dominated daily by case updates and control measures related to the disease. To tackle public fear and anxiety, Singapore's political leaders promptly released information regarding public health and emphasised that health advisories and decisions on control measures were evidence-based. They reassured the public of adequate medical and food supplies. They also warned against irrational, counterproductive, or discriminatory behaviours and highlighted societal values of social harmony, civic-mindedness, and altruism. On 8 February 2020, which was the day after Singapore raised its national risk assessment level, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong delivered a televised statement to alleviate fear and anxiety, urge Singaporeans to stay calm and carry on with their lives while taking sensible precautions, and rally the country to prepare psychologically in the fight against the coronavirus. 10 days later on 18 February, the World Health Organization (WHO) praised Singapore for its response to the coronavirus outbreak and thanked the Singapore government for its leadership and preparedness to combat the coronavirus. However, there is much uncertainty on how the situation will develop in Singapore and also other countries, given the global connectivity and differences in healthcare systems. As the outbreak continues to affect countries globally, governments and people react in ways reflecting human nature and also the nature of the society, in turn affecting the type of society that will emerge from the current and subsequent crisis situations. Understanding the psychology of crisis response is therefore critical. This book analyses Singapore's reaction to the coronavirus by focusing on the psychology of crisis response and drawing lessons from crisis management. Consisting of 10 chapters, the book is organised into three parts. Part 1 provides an overview of the context of the coronavirus crisis. Part 2 discusses Singapore's leadership and public responses. Part 3 addresses specific questions on psychological preparedness in terms of the evolving COVID-19 situation and future related crises. This book will provide new perspectives and possibilities on what it means to say ""be psychologically prepared"", as governments and citizens resolve problems and generate solutions in their responses to crisis situations.