Like the adverse
effects of a terrorist attack, COVID-19 – the pandemic crippling the global
community – is impacting the way we live our lives.
Changes to our daily
routines have illustrated similarities in government approaches to health and
security crises. It starts with language: Health Secretary Matt Hancock
recently addressed NHS staff on being on the front line of “what we’ve rightly
called a war”.
To respond to
COVID-19, the British government has followed a similar course of action to its
counter-terrorism strategy, CONTEST. CONTEST relies on 4 ‘p’s’: Protect, Prevent,
Pursue, and Prepare. Examining each of these in turn allows us to reflect on
the cause and effect on the national population.
The first pillar is
Protect. Prior to, during, and immediately following a terrorist attack, it is
the government’s priority to protect the public from further disruption and
harm. After the terrorist attacks on Westminster Bridge and London Bridge in
2017, the Metropolitan Police Service installed temporary physical security
barriers on eight central London bridges. These were intended to disrupt cars
from speeding into large pedestrian areas. Similarly, following the nerve agent
attack in Salisbury, a £48 million chemical weapons defense centre was
established in the UK in 2018. To protect against the event that a weapon of mass
destruction is used in the country, the UK relies on its Reserve National
Stock, a chain of warehouses housing antidotes and drugs to address this risk.
In addressing
COVID-19, the British government – similar to other governments across the
globe – has taken extraordinary measures
to contain the threat. This has included closing schools, stopping unnecessary
travel, advising people to limit contact, and running public interest campaigns
to increase knowledge. Posters and leaflets advising people to wash their hands
for 20 seconds or more are similar to the ‘See it, Say it, Sorted’
counter-terrorism messaging on public transport networks. This leads into the
second ‘P’, Prevent – it is easier to prevent a disease or a terrorist attack,
then it is to contain one that has already happened. Public interest campaigns
are crucial in achieving this.
It is clear that like
terrorism, pandemics and public health issues will constantly adapt and evolve,
and more research should be done to understand their effects. The third pillar
and fourth pillars: Pursue and Prepare, are areas where knowledge can be built.
In the realm of terrorism, Pursue involves actively monitoring and seeking out
an individual who may be ready to commit an attack, as well as tracking their network
of affiliates. Prepare consists of ensuring that both the country’s
infrastructure and its population are ready, if an attack does occur.
Source: Forbes.com –
20 March 2020
By: Nikita Malik
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