COVINFORM & PROACTIVE Whitepaper - Communication in times of crisis

Modern societies face a multitude of hazards and threats that when combined with particular conditions, result in a disaster. This year the European Commission has highlighted how COVID-19 is the largest crisis to hit Europe in recent years. During this same time, Europe has also witnessed extreme weather, droughts, wildfires, storms, extreme rainfall, floods, earthquakes, terrorist attacks and cyberattacks. COVID-19 has also brought attention to biological threats which are part of a wider cluster of incidents: Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and explosive (CBRNe). For example, bioterrorism is an important concern, as three terrorist plots involving hazardous materials were disrupted in Paris, Cologne and Sardinia in 2018. All of these disasters demonstrate the extent to which substantial health, societal and economic impacts are increasing. They also are a strong reminder that a lack of communication on the protective measures to take during a crisis can exacerbate existing and create new vulnerabilities.