CRISIS COMMUNICATION
MANAGING COMMUNICATION ON THE COVID-19 CHALLENGES
ANALYSIS AND LESSONS LEARNED
The Case Study of Greece
The Greek Crisis Management Communication Model
Greece was very quick to take the appropriate social distancing measures and impose the necessary restrictions at an early stage of the coronavirus pandemic. This swift reaction helped the country avoid the tragic healthcare crisis that other European states faced. It’s worth noting that Greece closed down all non-essential shops only four days after its first Covid-19 death, while the ban on non-essential movement came only a week afterwards. The Greek Prime Minister, through his nationally televised addresses, emerged as a voice of reason, the country’s political system as a whole reacted with composure and the citizens appeared to be very mindful of respecting the lockdown rules, in part a result of the steep penalties for non-compliance. The country worked to quickly increase its intensive care beds, to recruit additional hospital staff members and to open up more hospital worker positions.
Greek citizens saw a State acting in an organized way, taking measures and adapting political decisions to the guidance received from the experts. They saw the public administration going digital and becoming more effective and less bureaucratic. They saw a public health system rising to the challenge, in spite of having felt the consequences of a decade-long austerity. But the major result was the restoration of the Greek people’s confidence in State institutions and the international trust the country regained for its endeavors and sacrifices, after so many years of hard criticism.
During the lockdown restrictions as well as the current period of the gradual return to normality, the Greek government tried and managed to communicate, inter alia, the following messages:
Lockdown period
• Protecting human life and reducing the rate of transmission are priorities
• The decisions taken are science-based
• We have to strengthen the health system, create new mechanisms to deal with the pandemic and adopt new methods of work and behavior
• Combine individual and collective responsibility
• Accelerating digital transformation / Development of digital applications in various sectors
Back to normality
• Restoring economic activity while maintaining public health
• Opening up the education system as part of the “new normal”
• Development of specific protocols for various workplaces / activities, mainly in the field of tourism
The communication mechanism was based on:
• Daily televised briefings held jointly by the Health Ministry Spokesman and the Deputy Minister for Civil Protection
• Televised addresses of the Prime Minister on the important decisions and measures to be taken and the strategy to implement
• Televised briefings held by Ministers and government officials on decisions and measures to be taken in particular fields, such as education, culture, economy, transports and tourism
• Frequent briefings by the Government’s Spokesman for further information on important decisions and measures and the Greek positions in a EU level
• Announcements, viewpoints or comments by Greece’s representative on coronavirus to international organisations
Press and social media campaigns (on an indicative basis):
• "We stay home”: Audiovisual campaign initiated by the Ministry of Health encouraging citizens to stay home
• “We remain safe”: Audiovisual campaign initiated by the Ministry of Health for the period after the end of the lockdown and the gradual return to normality
• “Greece From Home”: Online platform to promote the country’s image to people all over the world and invite them to visit – not by travelling physically, but virtually – straight from the comfort and safety of their homes. An initiative created jointly by the Greek Tourism Ministry, the Greek National Tourism Organization and Marketing Greece
• “We Stay Home and Travel through Literature”: A two-part video featuring ambassadors from 19 countries reciting Greek literature in support of “#we stay home” campaign against the spread of coronavirus. The video was created and posted by the General Secretariat for Public Diplomacy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The initiative was aimed at sending a message of international solidarity against the COVID-19 pandemic through the universality and the timelessness of Greek literature, from Homer to the present day
• Exchange of wishes for the Greek Easter through e-cards promoting the “#we stay home” campaign, the work from home and the practice of social distancing. An initiative of the General Secretariat for Public Diplomacy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
July 6, 2020