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There is so much hype around COVID-19 – coping with this pandemic is not any different from its predecessors, including self-consciousness of our actions and interactions with others. Treating this pandemic as the armageddon is ignoring the other opportunities to really show our humanity in this world: starvation kills 20 times more people around the world on a yearly basis, and homelessness, lack of education and many other non-related diseases affect many more people creating a downward spiral of poverty that kills millions worldwide. This pandemic is the tip of the iceberg on a number of pandemic diseases over the past 100 years, without having the same severity yet of the previous ones; however, this time the world is aware through access to social networks. The opportunity is there to show humanity, to understand that there is balance on everything and that our individual actions affect everything around us. My main concern beyond self-awareness and following the recommended precautions, is the potential impact on the world's economy, which could create another disaster through lack of resources to feed and shelter millions around the world, leading to fear, chaos and vandalism. From DT-Global we could be working with governments to motivate and foster safe economic and trade development in impoverished societies. We can't let fear overcome our ability to thrive and innovate to resolve this pandemic – wash your hands, wear face masks, keep physical contact at safe distances, but overall, show HUMANITY and help others overcome the economic battle to come.

Govt to clarify next steps to carry forward after 14 days. The govt and the Health Department have been doing fine to contain the coronavirus since the positive case was declared in PNG. Those who believed to be affected were tested and found negative. It is impressive that the Australian man who was the first infected with the Virus was sent back to Australia. Some of these people who were believed to be infected by the virus tested negative, then what's the next step that the government will take? As as concerned citizen, I urge the govt to stop all the Seaports and Airports and propose control mechanisms, making sure to stop fly-ins.

<b>The special characteristics of disaster workers are more common than I thought.</b> Over the years that I worked in Aceh I observed a few very effective people who I believed changed the nature of professionalism in disaster response (<a href="https://www.academia.edu/10829310/Little-Known_Aussie_and_Kiwi_Innovators_in_Aceh_who_changed_the_nature_of_professionalism_in_disaster_response" rel="nofollow ugc">here</a>), and I wrote up the adaptations that certain professions need to be effective (<a href="https://pmworldlibrary.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/pmwj9-apr2013-podger-post-disaster-reconstruction-FeaturedPaper.pdf" rel="nofollow ugc">here</a>). And now we are working from home we are all having to adapt in similar ways to those we observed in Aceh. And the rush of governments and the medical professions and medical research to respond is illustrating these adaptations far better than I could in my observations in Aceh, and proving them to be more common than I thought. But it may still be worthwhile noting the values and principles we use, and the way we use them to shape our environments. <b>Values</b> We are finding so many special people that are helping with this crisis who have these values in common: <ul> <li>Strategic. They comprehend and continually assess where they are and where they want to go. They continually adjust their plans in order to assure they get the results they intended.</li> <li>Adaptability, a sense of when to be adaptive, and the values and principles of adapting.</li> <li>Compassion. They have compassion for those who suffer, and their colleagues in relief who struggle to make sense and make a contribution.</li> <li>Respect, first of all for community, then for government and colleagues. Even those who might not deserve respect are treated respectfully.</li> <li>Passion. Our special people do not just do their job, they do it with passion.</li> <li>Determination. They did not give up easily.</li> <li>Gratitude. They all expressed gratitude for being able to be part of it all.</li> </ul> <b>Principles</b> Our special people are guided by common principles: <ul> <li>Those who suffer are their clients, directly or indirectly.</li> <li>It is communities and economies that recover, not just sick people.</li> <li>Our special people know they might be wrong about assumptions, but they move forward. Wrong turns are detected quickly to move to right ones</li> <li>They recognise when standard practices are inappropriate and aim to tailor better ones.</li> <li>An honest trail is better than a creative report. Special people do not like writing reports. But they all keep records and love to tell people what they had done.</li> <li>Z-learning curves. They assume every event requires intensive learning to gain new understanding and new competencies as they go along.</li> </ul> Again I repeat the motto of Bob McKerrow, a long-time special Red Cross person: “do your best and then a little more.” And we all are doing that, even if we are just staying home. <b>Creating environment</b> Special people put effort into shaping their work environment or just their home environment. <ul> <li>Testing and challenging systems. Just like we cannot rely on solving problems if we do not understand them, we cannot rely on a system unless we understand how it won’t harm us. The Corona virus has turned on research into the virus and also into the social systems we need to depend on.</li> <li>Tailoring systems. When standard operating procedures are not appropriate, special people around the world are create new ones, always trying to create certainty.</li> <li>Building purposeful networks including the local community, government and fellow recovery workers. Never before have we seen such a wealth of new networks, from home schooling to public announcements, to caring for the poor and vulnerable.</li> <li>Expediting decision-making. The pressure to act drives our special people to avoid both delaying a decision and making an instant decision, and they are decisive in everything.</li> <li>Volunteering and claiming authority. We see everywhere people volunteering to take responsibility, and take authority, asking to be delegated the power to make decisions that affected other people. When there is no-one in charge, special people take control, then hand it back to the appropriate people when they appear.</li> </ul> As I discover that the special skills and aptitudes I saw in Aceh are so common now as we face this virus and its impact, I wish all readers well, and take care.

Thanks Casper, Good to hear from you. That's a very interesting comment about supporters being prioritised in charters. Thank you for sharing it. I hope all's well with you. Terence

Thanks Michael, Great comment. I agree - I hope CDF/DSIP funding isn't used politically. As you say it will be very interesting to see how the international community's response unfolds. Thanks for letting me know about the expats on yachts. I hope all's good. Terence

While the CDF is being used in Solomon Islands, I do agree with Terence that Clientelism is being practised still, as evidenced by charters being made for close supporters only and not for all constituents.

This is a good piece Terence. It’s good to see Solomon Islands using CDFs to move people (hopefully there’s no infected persons). In PNG, provincial governments were asked to develop plans on how to prevent/contain COVID-19. MPs are already allocating funds from CDFs to equip their provinces. During the drought some MPs politicized their CDFs in certain parts of PNG, giving funds to their supporters/voters. Hope that is not repeated. https://devpolicy.org/politicising-drought-relief-in-papua-new-guinea-20160118/ Apart from the risk posed by COVID-19, and poor health infrastructure, is the concerns over management of limited resources to fight COVID. PNG has requested K800 million from multilateral organizations. There may be greater accountability with these funds, with personnel from WHO, WB, ADB, IMF working together with the government. It may also set a template on how to work together in times of crisis. Crisis response in PNG has always been accompanied by accusations of poor mismanagement of limited resources. On a lighter note, it’s been fun reading about few expatriates sneaking into PNG on yachts for safety 😊.

Thank you James C, I really appreciate the links and the comments. You raise a great point with the conflict risk too. Thanks again. Terence

Thanks James B, great comment. Classic theory on state formation has it that countries sometimes improve governance, and move away from clientelism, when faced by external threats. Covid-19 seems like quite an external threat. And all around the Pacific we are seeing leaders take difficult decisions with a view to national welfare. That said, as you say, part of the response in Solomons seems to be use of CDF's. I think we both agree this may actually be useful in many ways. But it doesn't seem like a move away from clientelism. Then there's fairly recent example of PNG in the drought, which isn't encouraging. But, who knows, this is unprecedented, and unpredictable. Thanks again for a great comment.

An excellent article. Thanks Terence. PNG's borders are perhaps some of the more immediately concerning areas, especially that with Indonesia. PNG's National newspaper is doing some good reporting there: https://www.thenational.com.pg/security-at-borders%E2%80%89stepped-up%E2%80%89official/ and most recently https://www.thenational.com.pg/9-quarantined-after-crossing-border/. There are potential concerns for the disease itself, and using your formulation, economic and conflict risks there.

Thanks for this, a really interesting idea. One thing that I have been thinking about is what havoc this will wreak if it gets to vulnerable groups in refugee camps/informal settlements and other marginalised spaces. As developed countries are struggling to contain the disease, what hope do those in already fragile settings have? What strategies are being used to prepare, or respond? I noted COVID19 cases in Turkey for example are increasing rapidly, with a high population of refugees vulnerability would also be high. Another thing that I’ve been considering is rights violations in the policing of lockdowns/isolations, particularly in countries with poor records of human rights, and where those living in poverty or in marginalised populations are already facing rights violations. As well as the huge impact on the informal sector and the wider economy. There’s also the risks of increased domestic violence in countries where this is already a significant issue (including developed countries like Australia). Would be really interested to hear how people are working on these issues, or what approaches could be taken. I think the human toll of this will unfortunately extend well beyond those who die or are incapacitated by the illness itself.

Terence thanks for a thoughtful piece, as ever. While the immediate concern of everyone with an interest in the Pacific will of course be with the direct human impact, and how that can best be minimised, could I suggest a fifth lens through which we might consider the longer-term impact of coronavirus in the Pacific, that is its impact on governance? Clearly, it's early days yet but we are seeing some ways in which responses to the pandemic are driving innovation (https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/412992/vanuatu-livestreams-official-vote-count). This may be a temporary fix but it's possible that the pandemic response might turbocharge the development of e-government in some parts of the Pacific. On the other side of the ledger, concerns have been expressed (https://www.abc.net.au/radio-australia/programs/pacificbeat/pac-countries-lockdown-but-censorship-concerns-in-vanuatu/12095518) about the scope of Vanuatu's State of Emergency and in particular its impact on media freedom. In Solomon Islands you rightly note the role played by constituency development funds as a form of social safety net, however rough and ready. Solomon Islands media have reported that the government there has recently released funds to MPs to assist with the repatriation of Solomon Islanders from Honiara to their respective home provinces. There is precedent for this sort of ad hoc allocation in previous natural disasters in Solomon Islands. Bearing in mind that it's still very early days, so far the response to COVID-19 in Solomons would appear to have further entrenched the role of Members of Parliament as channels for the direct delivery of services to citizens.