Have you ever experienced two completely different messages that tell the same story but with varying degrees of importance? For example, if you ever got hurt in school- maybe Mom would say “OMG, my baby skinned her knee and now she can’t walk,” and maybe Dad would say, “you’ll be fine; it’s just a scratch.” Same message, totally different responses. This is what is happening now in communications of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus.
The 2019 Novel Coronavirus has hit the US, and close to home in Orange County. Multiple news reports have come out, stating all different things. Panic has ensued in Orange County in Asian communities; in other cultural communities, it’s just another day.
People are masked, gowned, and gloved to avoid contamination. Masks and hand sanitizers are sold out in Orange County. People are reselling masks to China to make money as stores are wiped clean.
However, in contrast, reputable news outlets like the LA Times, OC Register, ABC News, Fox News and so many others have reported that there is little to worry about as the individual who was quarantined in Orange County had very little to no contact with the outside community before she was hospitalized.
American news outlets are reporting that everything is mostly ok in Orange County and there is nothing to worry about as the “risk of local transmission remains low.” In contrast, Chinese news outlets are reporting that the individual did in fact go to public places such as South Coast Plaza, 99 Ranch Market, and Haidilao Hot Pot; these places are heavily populated and risk of infection is high. Chinese news sources are advising people to stay inside, don’t touch other people, wear masks, and to constantly wash your hands. It also is advising no travel, no shopping, and no going to public places that anyone from Wuhan would go to in California such as Irvine or Rowland Heights. Chinese news outlets are giving in depth information on the quarantined individual and letting the masses panic as they read because hundreds of people could have been contaminated as people are constantly in South Coast Plaza or 99 ranch- “it’s in the air now.”
For the sake of this blog in English, I will post social media posts in English rephrasing the information from the Chinese news outlets.
So the biggest question is- who do we listen to and what do we believe? Many people are terrified because of the severity of news coming from their sources and the rapidly growing death toll in China along with thousands of more cases discovered every day. However, communications continue to remain unclear as the Chinese government is reluctant to publicly share news and people are still flying in from all over the world, cross contaminating each other.
As someone who works in South Coast Plaza everyday and has a responsibility to her team’s safety, I have to weigh the different news sources and the emotional panic behind words to ensure that I make the best choice. My company has said no to safety precautions such as masks for now; one of my executives even commented, “the news says everything is fine and that there is little to no risk of contamination. We haven’t felt any concern in New York.” I have to weigh a direct command against the panic from my staff, especially ones that are getting their news from Chinese outlets.
American news outlets do not have the same degree of severity as Chinese news outlets which can cause a lack of attention to this matter by the general public.
What would you do in this situation and which “side” would you believe? Is there a way to align the communications and communicate effectively to the general public, in any language?
As for the informational side- is there a way to translate the information without panicking the masses? What jargon can be used to soothe but strongly convey the importance of the message?
References:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/summary.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/27/world/asia/china-coronavirus.html
January 26, 2020. Personal Communication
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