During an ongoing crisis like this covid-19,effective communication especially from the experts, leaders and officials matters most. Because, individuals rely on the information from these groups to understand the unfolding event and make decisions about what they should do in response.

However, the following are some of the roles effective communication is playing to help combat this situation from the world.

Firstly, it manages people’s expectations and fear. For example, journalists across the globe have been urge to report responsibly on the novel Coronavirus in order not to spread misinformation or stoke fears and undue panic among citizens.

Secondly, it keeps people up to date on advice and restrictions. For example, the public have been asked to practice good personal hygiene to keep themselves and their families healthy. Also, the world health organisation has urged people to put measures like physical distancing, regular hand washing among others into practice. Again, most countries are under the restriction of travelling and total lockdown.

Distortion and it effect

Although, communication is helping much to eradicate the novel of Coronavirus from the system, but most of the communications, sometimes are done poorly which undermine the trust in the institutions leading the emergence response and even let some people believe the virus doesn’t exist. Examples include the misinformation from the government officials and the media about the level of the threat the virus poses. This leads to general panic and fear.

Noise and its effect

Also, most of the information provided by our officials , leaders and experts on the novel coronavirus across the globe are based on speculations instead of them using reliable scientific sources in their reportage. Sometimes, most of these speculations are panic-laced information, and this could lead to general panic and fear.

The above mentioned communication barriers on covid-19 could be avoided by the following:

Experts, officials and leaders should use reliable scientific sources in their reportage and avoid speculations.

Fear-induced vocabulary in communication that could create a state of alarm and which does not correspond to reality should be avoided.

Increasing public awareness of situations through effective communication that educated, warned and informed properly on the virus.