Early Response to Covid-19: Some Errors of Strategic Management That Escalated an Avoidable Pandemic

Abstract

At the time COVID-19 outbreak occurred, the global community already possessed great resilience and preparedness gained from knowledge and experience of managing previous epidemics and pandemics, and from advances in science and technology. But then, response to the ‘novel’ coronavirus faced challenges of conformity or departure from established emergency response mechanisms; effective integration and coordination of the total system approach involved in large scale emergency response; and balancing the delicate interface between multilateral agencies and sovereign States in joint response operations. This paper examined the joint operation between the World Health Organization and Member-States in the early response against COVID-19, from December 31, 2019 to January 31, 2020 to determine its effectiveness. It adopted the documentary survey method and collected secondary data from the timeline records of the World Health Organization and devex. It applied content analysis on the data within the theoretical frameworks of input-output device; and management by objective (MBO), from the standpoint of strategic management. The paper found that four strategic management errors were responsible for escalating COVID-19 to a pandemic, including non-imposition of travel restrictions on China; late declaration of national emergency by national governments except the United States; etc. The paper recommends, among others, that rapid response akin to a ‘blitzkrieg’ or ‘eagle swoop’ approach be applied immediately following reports of outbreaks of epidemics to prevent subsequent escalation; and that strategic management approach be adopted holistically in responding to all epidemics and pandemics.