“COVID-19 Digital Response Collaboration” Webinar Series for ICA Member States

Be sure to join the “ICA COVID-19 Digital Response Collaboration” Webinar Series:

COVID-19 has been escalating its spread by affecting over 215 countries. The number of confirmed cases and deaths are increasing daily. The virus has challenged most health care systems; while the swift public sector response for citizen awareness on social distancing and other measures have proven key to keeping things at least under control. Most Nations have put restrictions with a minimum of 1 month which may continue until the vaccination progress advances in most of the ICA members and the rest of the world. However, we need to keep in mind that the more social distancing remains in effect, the higher the negative impact to be experienced by various industries such as tourism, hospitality, domestic production, global distribution and other sectors vital to our economic resources, including employment and government cash flows. There is also a high risk that overly ambitious efforts to suppress the actual spread of the virus, in situations where the fatality rate is comparatively low, will impose intolerable costs damaging our economic well-being for several years to come. Consequently, a continuous real-time monitoring of the actual status from a multi-criteria perspective is absolutely vital. Therefore, a balance and a trade-off awareness when imposing the different mitigation measures is necessary.

And while a third wave is anticipated, it is once again time for all of us to put together our knowledge and lessons learnt so far to come up with a plan as the ICA community, for proposed interventions with immediate effect. ICA would like for our Member States to join the special webinar session where we will discuss how the COVID-19 challenges can be mitigated if we prioritise the roll out of digital interventions espoused in our respective digitisation strategies.

As we are developing our individual National measures to address this global crisis, we need to ensure that our citizens act responsibly (civic education and awareness) and that the public sector becomes responsive and efficient (both fiscally and productive). Furthermore, we need to control costs but also invest wisely in digital infrastructure, online education, proper healthcare and relief programmes. The ICA community saw the need to take this challenge brought about from the pandemic to work together with a whole-of-government approach, collaborate amongst our members and investigate cross border prospects that provide global solutions that will help us come out better and stronger than before.

It is said that “a problem shared is a problem halved.” Let’s share our best practices and lessons learnt for more effective monitoring and response to crisis.

It is evident that digital readiness is a key aspect of fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. Countries that are continuing to make considerable strides in fighting COVID-19 are leveraging emerging technologies offered through digital transformation.

More than ever, technology proves to be our key ally in the fight against the COVID-19. We, therefore, call upon the technology industry to align themselves with the public sector and join forces to emerge victorious in the fight against this or any other crises. To ensure essential services are available for the citizens and minimise the effect of this pandemic on our people and the economy.

Some of the topics that we aim to address during the COVID-19 Digital Response Collaboration Webinar Series:

• National coordination and communications
  Specifically: Working within Government and across borders
• Informed citizens: access to Accurate and Critical information
  Specifically: Channels for immediate communication and coordination
• Enforced quarantines, lockdowns, prevention and travel ban.
  Specifically: Monitoring, evaluating, assessing and mitigating
• Target economic relief and introduce public services to assist the private sector and low-wage workers
  Specifically: Policies that work - what can we do on the digitization front