What we will study from New Zealand's Covid-19 information
In the past few months, the world of corona viruses has been collectively blinded. Countries around the world have been forced to severely curtail travel and social activities, close schools and jobs, and in many cases introduce a state of complete closure. When the history books are written about these turbulent times, however, some nations will inevitably emerge from the other side if they have dealt with them better than others.
While the worldwide death toll continues to rise and scientists are trying to develop a vaccine as quickly as possible, patterns are already emerging in how individual governments deal with the crisis. In a recent PRovoke Media survey of PR professionals around the world, the US has proven to be far worse in its approach. This reflects the country's rising infection rate and President Trump's often unpredictable and confusing news, while the countries that performed best, generally the countries that managed to know more about cases like Singapore, New Zealand and Germany.
New Zealand in particular has been widely praised as one of the great success stories of the current crisis. With the rapid introduction of a nationwide ban by the government through a series of video game-style locking levels, the infection rate has been kept remarkably low and only 21 deaths have been recorded so far. At the heart of these efforts is the country's prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, whose popularity has increased by 20%. She is the most popular New Zealand prime minister for a century.
So what does Ardern do right that other political leaders don't? Along with carefully considered choices, such as a 20% wage cut to show solidarity with those affected by coronavirus, and the idea of a four-day workweek to boost tourism and improve work-life balance. The country is starting to rebuild. Communication has played a major role in successfully managing the crisis.