Municipal leaders stress clear communication is vital during pandemic
This is part of our Coronavirus Update series in which Harvard specialists in epidemiology, infectious disease, economics, politics, and other disciplines offer insights into what the latest developments in the COVID-19 outbreak may bring. The coronavirus pandemic is testing the management and leadership skills of mayors across the country — particularly in larger cities like New York, Detroit, and Chicago, which have been hit with far greater intensity than more rural areas. One rising concern for all municipal leaders is the residents’ mental health amid prolonged social distancing and the daily drumbeat of grim news about mounting deaths and infections. For nearly everyone the abrupt social and economic changes brought on by government-mandated activity restrictions have been disorienting. Soaring tallies of contacts at online mental health services and recent opinion survey data indicate people are feeling increasingly anxious and stressed, with many acting out in harmful ways. During a virtual seminar Thursday, 750...