Transparent info to promote public trust against Covid-19

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Soldiers from the Taiwanese military chemical units take part in a drill organised by the New Taipei City government to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in Xindian district on March 14. (Photo: Sam Yeh/AFP)

Transparent info to promote public trust against Covid-19

PORT MORESBY: In part 2B of our series on Taiwan’s experience in fighting the Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, we look at how the Government aggressively executed open and transparent information measures to promote public social stability and trust to fight the pandemic.

The earlier reports were these: https://pngcybermonitor.blogspot.com/2021/07/fighting-covid-19-taiwans-successful.html (Fighting Covid-19: Taiwan’s ‘successful’ experience)

https://pngcybermonitor.blogspot.com/2021/07/use-of-big-data-ai-to-curb-covid-19.html (Use of big data, AI to curb Covid-19)

https://pngcybermonitor.blogspot.com/2021/08/taiwans-ict-support-in-covid-19-battle.html (Taiwan’s ICT support in Covid-19 battle)

https://pngcybermonitor.blogspot.com/2021/08/vaccine-r-test-kits-vs-covid-19.html (Vaccine R&D, test kits vs Covid-19)

This is part 3A:

Open and transparent information promoting social stability:

The global spread of Coronavirus (Covid-19) has gripped the entire world. The biggest difference in how authoritarian states and democracies have addressed the disease lies in whether the reality is presented honestly to the public.

Many authoritarian states have hidden the truth about the pandemic and imposed strict surveillance on their citizens, while most democracies have confronted the outbreak by offering information in an open, transparent fashion without infringing upon civil rights.

Taiwan, a vibrant democracy, has faced the situation openly and provided information transparently, for which the Government has won the trust of the people. Taiwan’s achievements in corralling the epidemic have become a model for the world.

Information updated daily to ensure people’s safety and national calm:

From January to early June 2020, Taiwan’s Central Epidemic Command Centre (CECC) hosted daily press conferences to update the public on the latest Covaid-19 developments, as well as new disease prevention measures.

This boosted local confidence in the Government’s efforts to contain the outbreak. The first case in Taiwan was a businesswoman who returned from Wuhan on Jan 21.

She was also the first non-Chinese national to be confirmed as having the disease. Taiwan upgraded its disease prevention level. The CECC held at least one press conference daily, hosted by the CECC 2 commander.

The public was briefed on the latest developments from a professional standpoint, including information on confirmed cases, both imported and indigenous, as well as efforts concerning contact tracing and other prevention measures.

Following Taiwan’s containment of the spread of the virus, the CECC on June 8, 2020, started holding press conferences only when there were serious new Covid-19 developments, providing the public with updates and related information.

The purpose of these press conferences is to share factual information with the public and to alleviate fears. These press conferences provided a psychological boost to the public, with each CECC team member playing an indispensable role.

CECC deputy commander and Interior deputy minister Chen Tsong-yen spoke about the latest border control measures. CECC Expert Advisory Panel Convener Dr Chang Shan-chwen shares medical information in language that is readily understandable. Executive Officer and Director-General of Taiwan’s Centres for Disease Control (Taiwan CDC) Chou Jih-haw is the right hand of the commander, and provided information on infection investigations and policy implementation. Surveillance and Response Officer and Deputy Director-General of the Taiwan CDC Chuang Jen-hsiang was responsible for monitoring pandemic data and acted as spokesperson for the group.

Without star actors, without a script, these live-streamed press conferences presented objective data and scientific fact have become the highest-rated programming for their time slots.

At times, the heads of other related agencies attend to further explain CECC disease prevention measures. These efforts gave the public a strong sense of the cross-ministerial cooperation to prevent the further spread of the disease.

These press conferences were opened to unlimited questions from the media. Information on the epidemic was open and transparent, and measures taken and medical information were explained fully, which had engendered trust.

Fighting an epidemic was akin to the waging of a war: having the best commanding team will put the people’s fears to rest. Even as the pandemic reached around the globe, the people in Taiwan, from hard-working medical professionals on the front lines to the public, had peace of mind as they trust the commanding team.

Reuters image: Taiwan's early response has kept the virus well in check

Employing multiple media channels to disseminate information at any time and to any place:

In addition to live streaming press conferences, the Government’s agencies and departments provided the latest information and announced new prevention and containment measures through both traditional media outlets, such as television and broadcast media, and new media channels, such as Facebook, Twitter, and LINE.

Being kept in the dark causes anxiety, and widespread public anxiety would potentially be more difficult to deal with than the epidemic itself. Thus, the Government’s highest guiding principle was to provide people with the most up-to-date and accurate information in as timely a fashion as possible. The Health and Welfare Ministry’s official website and 1922 hotline provided public access to such information.

Popular media outlets, such as television stations, Facebook, Instagram and the Taiwan CDC’s official LINE account, also disseminated up-to-date information through clear and humorous infographics.

The Health and Welfare Ministry, for example, even created Zongchai, a cartoon Shiba Inu, to serve as its “spokesdog”. In educating the public on best practices and ameliorating concerns over Covid-19, Zongchai proved hugely successful, providing the Taiwanese people with accurate information and timely updates on prevention and containment measures.

The official LINE account, developed jointly by the Taiwan CDC and a team from the private sector, enabled the Government to disseminate accurate information directly and in real time.

The account also addressed public concerns by functioning as a Q&A service. At one point during the Covid-19 outbreak, the number of subscribers skyrocketed from fewer than 100,000 to one million in one week. The account now has more than 2.23 million subscribers. 

Meanwhile, Taiwan’s 1922 24-hour disease-prevention hotline helped respond to any and all questions on the Covid-19 pandemic. Personnel manning the hotline provided immediate support to people undergoing home quarantine or home isolation, while updated chatbot functionality gave citizens firsthand access to domestic and overseas information on the situation as it developed.

Building on the Health and Welfare Ministry’s frontline provision of information through multiple channels, a root-and-branch mobilisation of Government was to get information to even more people.

Through regular Facebook posts, President Tsai Ing-wen and Premier Su Tseng-chang were spelling out the Government’s latest efforts and calling for public cooperation.

The majority of Tsai’s Facebook posts focused on the general direction that epidemic prevention policies were to take, which received wide exposure.

Premier Su’s Facebook page was used to introduce and explain these policies. And given that some people may not watch television, listen to the radio, or use the internet or LINE, the Government took the initiative of sending key messages to cellphones through the Public Warning System or Public Warning Cell Broadcast Service.

On April 4, the message warned the public not to visit crowded scenic spots, and reminded people of the importance of social distancing.

The Government team went all out to fight Covid-19 - not only battling the disease through physical action, but also fighting an information war to deliver information across the airwaves and throughout social networks.

The first phase, which could be likened to a war of attrition in which a rotating roster of combatants sought to engage with the enemy, employed multiple channels to ensure a proper understanding of certain concepts, preventing unnecessary worry and thereby helping contain the pandemic.

The second phase used effective and already well-established communication channels to respond to and clarify disinformation in real time, thus protecting the public from incorrect information, and the unnecessary worry.