Civil society and confront the Corona pandemic: reality and expectations

Research and Information Center: Khaled Al-Hada

The Corona Virus Virus (COVID-19) pandemic imposed on the whole world the exception of many unusual political, economic and social restrictions, and it was natural for the world to wage war against this enemy in an attempt to limit the catastrophic effects of the pandemic that has spiraled out of control around the world.

Failure to stop the spread of the epidemic may be a fact that includes everyone without exception, but in different proportions and the reason for this failure is that the new Corona virus, according to experts, is an epidemic that is easy to spread and spread on a large scale, and it is noted that the patterns of experiences and response to countries have varied and that each experiment has something that distinguishes it from other experiences, There are several main criteria by which the difference between one experiment and another can be known, among which are: response speed, political stability within the country, past experiences, the level of interaction between government decisions and society, the health system in general and previous precautionary measures Confrontation, capacity and economic potential of the state, but it is necessary to emphasize that the difference in size and level of action is not an important difference to what must be adhered to by individuals and society in front of the spread of the virus Corona emerging.

Experiments have shown that curbing the virus needs the necessary precautionary measures associated with restricting the movement of people affected and obliging them to quarantine at home or hospital to prevent the transmission of the virus, and for people who are not infected by limiting movement and movement with stone at home to reduce the incidence of more pathological conditions in the future.

There is a set of preventive guidelines that must be adhered to, such as personal hygiene, such as washing hands and using antiseptic hands, and not touching your face, “your eyes, nose, and mouth” with dirty hands. Covering the mouth when coughing or sneezing Commitment to social separation in the sense of avoiding any large gatherings and taking care when necessary contact with others.

Specialists note that the social divergence contributes greatly to slowing the speed of the spread of the Corona virus and preventing the high rate of infection to a catastrophic level, thus preserving the health system by relieving pressure on hospitals and protecting them from collapse.

What must be emphasized in this sensitive phase is that this cross-border virus has caused an unprecedented health crisis worldwide, and it was not surprising that a set of precautionary measures were taken to limit the spread of the epidemic after the medical capabilities were unable to play its role as a result of the huge leaps in the numbers of infected persons despite The great health progress in the developed countries, but it stood powerless in the face of the spread of this epidemic, and we should mention here that the health system in Yemen suffers a lot, as a result of the aggression and the unjust blockade, and it cannot be compared to other countries.

Therefore, seriousness is imperative in dealing with the risks of the spread of the Corona epidemic, and it is necessary to raise the level of societal awareness of the seriousness of the situation, and that leniency or complacency will have painful repercussions at the level of the individual, group and society in general.

Today, while we are in the heat of this open battle, it must be emphasized that the confrontation requires the cooperation of everyone without exception, especially after announcing the spread of the Corona virus in some governorates, and here efforts must be intensified and coordinated between the main parties concerned with this confrontation through the development of urgent plans to manage the crisis , So that the repercussions are not more serious than the pandemic itself.

In addition to various government decisions and procedures, it is necessary that these decisions be accompanied by the intensification of efforts and endeavors to rehabilitate destroyed health facilities, in addition to raising the level of qualification of medical cadres, doctors and nurses and everyone working in the fight against the epidemic to prevent it as the front line defense in this unprecedented war And society remains as a third side in this confrontation, which is the most important and there is no way to succeed in this battle without an advanced awareness of society.

Emphasizing the importance of societal awareness in this crisis, the World Health Organization indicated the importance of the social role and awareness to combat the Corona virus, and the organization stressed that the world is fighting a real war with the Corona epidemic because of its rapid transmission and the spread of its spread, and therefore social awareness comes into play in this battle.

Real and hopeful civil society

The spread of the Corona epidemic in Yemen was not the first epidemic of its kind, as Yemen had previously suffered from the spread of many epidemics and diseases such as cholera, dengue and celery (chikungunya) during the past few years, and joint efforts based on government cooperation with international and local organizations have had a positive role in combating those Epidemics.

It can be said that the sum of those field experiences in the fight against epidemics has formed a cumulative balance for the benefit of local organizations numbering in the thousands, which is supposed to enable them today to play a qualitative role in responding to the requirements of the crisis of the spread of the Corona virus in the event that there were any shortcomings from the concerned authorities and in the forefront of those Roles:

Educating citizens about the seriousness of this epidemic and ways to prevent it.

– Moving and coordinating with the various bodies to create a state of conscious societal mobilization, conscious of the importance of compliance with proactive precautionary measures, and the need to apply preventive health instructions, especially those related to preventing the outbreak of the Corona virus.

– Providing the community with the possibility of coronavirus outbreaks and affirming that cooperation and commitment is the first solution to reduce the negative effects of the epidemic.

– Addressing the spread of false rumors among the community (intimidation or insult), the crises may not constitute a great danger in themselves, but the methods of dealing badly with them, and the rumors that coincide with them, may be more dangerous than them.

– trengthening the state of social stability through rapid response in alleviating panic and bullying among the community caused by the spread of the epidemic.

– Promoting social solidarity in general and multiplying it in the event of establishing a state of health emergency in the future by extending a helping hand to the needy and the most needy groups, as a result of the force majeure.

– Acting as a link between the concerned authorities and citizens with the aim of providing the correct information, up and down, and interpreting it accurately. Each crisis is an information and communication crisis, and experiences have proven that the right information works to achieve the required awareness on one side and respond to current problems and anticipate the problems expected from the other side.

Work to mobilize and direct different individual energies in specific volunteer work to keep pace with the urgent needs resulting from the Corona pandemic.

We must point out that there are a set of challenges facing civil society organizations in Yemen, foremost of which are the financial capabilities that may limit the implementation of their programs to face the crisis, this requires partnership with the private sector to achieve two goals: First / Bridging the financial deficit that civil society organizations suffer as an alternative To the external donor. The second / pushing the private sector to play an active and vital role in what is known today as “the social responsibility of the private sector” by maintaining internal stability, by providing goods without any price increases and not monopolizing them, in addition to launching initiatives aimed at addressing the negative effects of the crisis by strengthening interdependence Social and provision of services and food and health aid to the groups most affected to overcome the crisis and its various ramifications with minimal losses.

In the context of the foregoing, it must be emphasized that the wager is on enhancing societal awareness among all members of society in light of this health crisis, and the responsibility here is mainly complementary and reliance on the community’s own capabilities to come out with the least damage from this unprecedented crisis.