Communicating with Citizens About Coronavirus without Creating Panic

As with all events that impact the globe, individuals want to know, “what is the impact where I live, and how may this affect me?” For answers, they will turn to their local leaders. At this time, fear, anxiety, and virus-related xenophobia may be just as dangerous to communities as the risk of contagion itself. Local public safety and communications leaders must strike a precarious balance between impressing on citizens the importance of taking precautionary measures, without creating mass panic and paranoia that could lead to the kinds of doomsday planning that can isolate a community. When communicating with citizens about coronavirus, follow the best practices in our article to achieve your goals of education and awareness, without eliciting fear or panic.