Editorial: Controlling the message in times of Covid 19 coronavirus

With more than 21,000 followers on Instagram, Athena Angelou, was a useful personality to broadcast the stay-at-home message during Covid lockdown. Photo / Supplied, File

EDITORIAL

From early on in the Covid-19 pandemic, it was obvious that consistent communication was essential to maintaining compliance with key measures to limit transmission of the virus.

Now we know "influencers" were deployed in Auckland's March lockdown to push messages into social media as the Government fretted about online posts undermining the pandemic response.

It appears it was thought overly harsh critics condemning infected people for not self-isolating could truly jeopardise the country's response. A newly released Cabinet paper said "social licence" was crucial to a strong Covid-19 response.

Such hostility could undermine the overall pandemic response, wrote Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins. "Public reaction to particular individuals who have not used the Covid-19 Tracer app or otherwise failed to follow good practices suggests a possible erosion of this."

So, the Government sought help from social media figures who were deemed to have sway in Māori, Pacific, Indian and youth communities. Hosts from radio stations Tarana, Flava, The Edge and Hauraki subsequently posted reassuring photos and messages, using the campaign's hashtag #stayinforit.

Contrast this social media influencing tactic with the lack of action around countering misinformation on the vaccine.

Most will have by now seen or heard of the leaflets put in mailboxes in a concerted campaign to raise unfounded fears about the vaccine and undermine the protection offered by mass immunity.

The flyer was produced and distributed by a group called Voices for Freedom. Co-founder Claire Deeks ran as a candidate for Advance New Zealand at the last election, and was third on the party list. The group claimed to be putting out two million flyers to coincide with the Government's vaccine campaign.

Investigative journalist David Fisher sought any communications about what Government agencies might do to address the false claims being disseminated about the vaccine and was told "the information does not exist".

For all its efforts and expense, Voices for Freedom failed to register as a threat.

The Government itself hasn't always been clear in all its communications, with some "casual contacts" of positive cases being upgraded to "casual plus" without announcement or explanation in March this year. The Prime Minister was also accused of neglecting her own advice to "be kind" when she publicly criticised a Covid-infected person who continued to work at a KFC store.

Ultimately, the Government is well aware the greatest risk is the public passively drifting off the necessary precautions rather than active resistance.

Complacency is our greatest enemy, particularly while the director general of health continues to report no community transmissions in his regular briefings and with just 5 per cent of the population having received a second vaccine shot.

Fiji has discovered geographical isolation is not enough to avoid the increased transmissible variants of Covid. Vigilance and adherence to official advice remains crucial as the best mechanism we have to the defeating this damned thing.

Raising our prevention and contact tracing game after it has arrived is too late.

That is the message that needs reinforcing, by whatever means.