ASSIGNMENT COVER

REGION: MATEBELELAND NORTH

PROGRAMME: POST GRADUATE DIPLOMA IN DEVELOPMENT STUDIES INTAKE: 3

FULL NAME OF STUDENT: NOMATHAMSANQA NDLOVU PIN: P1959422C

MAILING ADDRESS: nomahg718@gmail.com

CONTACT TELEPHONE/CELL: 0775129016 ID. NO.: 75-391691 P53

COURSE NAME: DEVELOPMENT MONITORING AND EVALUATION COURSE

CODE: MSDS511

ASSIGNMENT NO. : 1 DUE DATE: 31 DECEMBER 2020

ASSIGNMENT TITLE:

As a development management practitioner in your province, create a reaction strategy to the

Covid 19 pandemic for your province. Show clearly at least 8 strategic interventions and the
associated activities that you will execute to manage the effect of the Covid 19 pandemic.(100
marks)

MARKER’S COMMENTS:
______________________________________________________

OVERALL MARK: _____________ MARKER’S NAME:

________________________
MARKER’S SIGNATURE:_______________________________ DATE: ___________
Issue Date: 3 October 2013 Revision 0
Abstract

To date, non-pharmacological interventions have been the mainstay for controlling the COVID-

19 pandemic. While these measures are effective in preventing health systems overload, these

long-term measures are likely to have significant adverse economic consequences. Therefore,

many countries are currently considering to lift the measures increasing the likelihood of disease

resurgence. In this regard, dynamic interventions, with intervals of relaxed social distancing, may

provide a more suitable alternative. However, the ideal frequency and duration of intermittent

non vaccine measures, and the ideal when interventions can be temporarily relaxed, remain

uncertain, especially in resource-poor communities. In this research a number of intervention

strategies have been put forward and the effectiveness of these can be tested upon

implementation and a grace period of assessment is given. In combating a new pandemic, it is

difficult to structure a full proof measure which is hundred percent effective.

Introduction and Background

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has imposed an unprecedented challenge to

global healthcare systems, societies, and governments. As of May 16, 2020, the severe acute

respiratory syndrome coronavirus has been detected in every country, with more than 4.6 million

confrmed cases and a death toll exceeding 300,000 world wide (Worldometer, 2020). To date, in

the absence of pharmaceutical measures for prevention or treatment, the principal strategy to

control COVID-19 has focused on community based, non-pharmaceutical interventions. This is

package of mitigation and suppression measures includes; case-based isolation, shielding of

vulnerable groups, school closures, restricting public events and lockdowns, that aim to

minimize person-to person transmissions through social distancing.

The pandemic has presented a myriad of effects that will stick around for decades. The world

wide fall in production will cause changes in patterns of production, trade and interactions

between nations. Developing intervention strategies to reduce the problems being caused by the

pandemic calls for a holistic approach which includes many stakeholders in the society such as

community leaders, the government, health experts, non-government organisations and education

authorities. The development of intervention measures has to be centered at containing the

spread as well as reducing the socioeconomic effects on the valnurable members in the society.

The researcher is going to put foward a detailed analysis of measures that can be adopted by a

society if the pandemic effects is to be contained.

Strategies

a) Testing Measures
Stopping the spread of COVID-19 requires finding and testing all suspected cases so that

confirmed cases are promptly and effectively isolated and receive appropriate care, and the close

contacts of all confirmed cases are rapidly identified. To achieve this, countries and communities

must fundamentally increase their capacity to identify suspected cases of COVID-19 in the

general population quickly based on the onset of signs or symptoms. This will require a shift

from reliance on existing surveillance networks to system of rapid, population-level active

surveillance (WHO, 2020). In addition to active case finding in communities, health facilities,

and at points of entry, it will be necessary to enable the general population to practice self-

surveillance, in which individuals are asked to self-report as a suspected case as soon as they

have symptoms or signs and if they are a contact of a confirmed case. To achieve this shift, the

community will need to rapidly scale up the workforce to find cases, including by looking

outside the traditional public health system to train non-public-health workers, and by using

innovative technology such as online applications to enable individuals to self-report.

Furgeson et al, (2020) suggests that data and analysis to better understand the potential

implications of COVID-19 through monitoring of the impact of the pandemic on critical systems

such as food systems and agricultural products trade corridors, water, sanitation and other

essential non-food items procurement chain and on population groups most at risk such as people

with health preconditions, refugees, and women most exposed and susceptible to the disease and

less able to cope, including the use of tools and mechanisms such as the Displacement Tracking

Matrix, registration, and platform and infrastructure for real-time remote data collection and

early warning.

b) Isolation of Confirmed Cases

Confirmed cases whether confirmed through testing or on the basis of symptoms or signs should

be safely, effectively, and rapidly isolated to prevent onward transmission in the community.

Ideally, confirmed cases should be isolated in dedicated facilities to minimize the potential for

onward transmission and maximize the provision of any support necessary. If this is not possible,

and cases are instead required to self-isolate in households, there should be appropriate follow-up

and support to ensure that individuals are able to self isolate effectively with no social contact It

is also essential to identify and trace the close contacts of every confirmed or probable case, and

quarantine and monitor them for 14 days. This ensures that even pre-symptomatic cases that

arise as a result of contact with a confirmed case do not mix with the general population.

Quarantine can be a stressful experience and a significant imposition and disruption to the life of

the quarantined individual and their family. Every effort must be made to support individuals

required to undergo quarantine, including through the provision of basic necessities, income

support, psychosocial support, and health care as needed.

c) Lockdown Measures

The spread of the pandemic is exercabated by the contacts between the infected persons and non

infected person. The role of community leaders is to create a situation whereby people are

encouraged through the use of lockdown restrictions. Focus is not lost on the agenda of reducing

the pandemic but also on the containment of life through avoiding excessive use of a single

regulation. Through the period December 2019 to current with the pandemic ravaging

communities and leaving a trail of hunger and stress it is important to create a lockdown

restriction strategic plan that addresses twin effects of covid-19 risk and hunger induced death.

The suggestion is ensuring that there is no night life activities such as going to clubs and other

social gatherings. This reduces the rate of transmission at hotspot areas where the effects of the
pandemic are highly likely to be disregarded. However, it has to be a measure which people can

rightly associate with and therefore a reduction in the need for enforcement agents. Both

community leaders and associated influential members must be given a thorough education on

the importance of educating the public on adhering to the lockdown measures.

d) Social Protection Measures

Referrals of the most vulnerable individuals to appropriate additional protection and social

services. Food and nutrition assistance as well as rural livelihood support to food insecure and

malnourished people vulnerable to the infection as many people are suffering from cyclone

induced food crisis. Continuous functioning of local food markets, value chains and systems,

ensuring that people along the food supply chain are not at risk of disease transmission. This

helps to reduce the mortality rates that are associated with hunger and other hunger related

illnesses. Community leaders must adapt and develop accurate risk communication which

includes through media, social media, radio and mobile information vans and helplines manned

by community volunteers, and community engagement for primary prevention and stigma

reduction, with special attention to the most vulnerable such as women, people with disabilities

and marginalized groups including refugees, and other people of concern. Protection and social,

psychosocial, legal and justice services for all, and other particularly vulnerable groups such as

survivors of gender-based violence, adolescent girls, unaccompanied/ separated children at risk

of discrimination and exclusion.

Scale-up of social assistance systems, and cash transfer programmes with complementary

livelihood assistance including adaptations for remote digital trade particularly for rural crop and

livestock workers and producers, small/medium businesses, and other food-insecure population
groups. The community leaders and supporting groups must give support to schools that can

safely remain open, and investment in connected education, including offline solutions to enable

continuous access to education throughout the crisis. The measure is ideal for a community that

is ready to accept change and move to new normal living conditions.

Humanitarian agencies will be encouraged to implement a range of interventions in various areas

to address the indirect effects of the pandemic on people’s ability to meet their basic needs.

These include, for example; provision of essential food security, livelihood and nutrition inputs

and services, and technical assistance to support vulnerable population groups affected by the

pandemic, with direct and indirect benefits including for resilience-building, stability, and the

local economy. Pre-positioning and stocks of essential food supplies in strategic areas will be

done to reduce the after shocks of the pandemic to the society. Technical and capacity

strengthening of local authorities in terms of ways to monitor the outbreak and ways of

developing defence mechanisms to those valnurable members. Another strategy is social

cohesion community-based interventions to prevent the deterioration of livelihoods and

strengthen community engagement, particularly in displacement settings. It is very important to

note that during crisis periods prices of goods and services drastically goes up and therefore

monitoring of food prices, food security and needs, health parameters and the economic impact

on fragile groups in the society, for early warning and early action is needed.

e) Training of Community Health Workers

The wake of the global community after the outbreak of the Covid-19 has changed how people

perceive the health system and the disaster preparedness. The resultant loss of life was not

warranted if enough education and training was carried out at localised levels in terms of how to
react to the pandemic. It is now a requirement that Community members must be trained to be

non-professional health workers who deliver basic health services such as sanitation, importance

of proper cooked food and its effect in fighting the spread of the pandemic. According to the

WHO regulations, it is important to have proper meals with balanced nutrients during periods of

a pandemic in order to increase the body defence mechanism (WHO, 2020). Communities must

get these health workers even at minimum cost through volunteers as this is needed to safeguard

the valnurable members of the society such as the elderly and children who might not be aware

of the effects of the pandemic which befell the global economy. The community health workers

must make sure there is preparedness planning with line ministries and school authorities to

minimize the risk of transmission in schools. Mapping of status of points of entry to enable

governments and health professionals to better understand human mobility and cargo flows

within the community.

Targeted and time-limited implementation of these measures will potentially reduce mortality by

flattening the trajectory of the epidemic and relieving some pressure on clinical care services.

However, these measures are blunt tools with considerable social and economic costs, and

should be implemented with the understanding, consent, and participation of communities, and

based on the principle of doing no harm (). The risks of implementing these measures must be

effectively communicated to the affected populations and communities engaged to own and

participate in them.

f) Phased Opening of Schools

The global pandemic resulted in complete shutdown of every part of the economies including the

closure of schools and many other institutions of learning. The disruption in teaching and
learning is of great concern to the global economy. In creating measures to curb the effects of the

pandemic it is of critical importance to give priority to the future outcomes of certain measures.

The proposed measure is to do a Phased Opening of schools both at lower levels through to

tertiary level. This measure will reduce congestion in centers of learning and as these have

potential to become epicentres of the pandemic. This as well will allow teachers to copy with the

pressures of the returning learners.

g) Introduction of a vulnerability fund

To fight off the pandemic, there must be a concernted effort by; government, business

organisations and the non-government organisations. These stakeholders are the anchors to any

community development. The government must provide a fund through money supply strategies

to cushion members of the society against the pandemic and to compensate them in lost incomes

because of the lockdown restrictions. This will enable both people and businesses to survive. The

purpose of non profit making businesses such as NGOs is to avert a potential crisis periods. It is

times like these that these organisations become much important to the community. One

intervention strategy that this stakeholder must do is to harness financial resources that are to be

forwarded to the community members and help members to start self help projects such as

gardening, animal husbandry and many other small projects. This will ensure self sustainance to

the community members in the immediate situation and in the future.

In addition to the direct mortality caused by COVID-19, response at the national and subnational

level must also address the risks of indirect mortality posed by the possible interruption of

essential health and social services. The acute burden that COVID-19 places on health systems,

combined with the disruptive effects of shielding strategies, physical distancing and movement
restrictions, must be mitigated in order to minimize the negative health impacts of COVID-19 on

individuals who depend on essential, non-COVID-19-related services. In mitigating these

effects, the involvement of the government and other non governmental organisations is needed.

The objective is to preserve the ability of people most vulnerable to the pandemic to meet their

food consumption and other basic needs, through their productive activities and access to social

safety nets and humanitarian assistance.

h) Creation of a Community based investment vehicle

Safety nets are needed in communities in order to reduces the effects of a pandemic.any

communities rely on trade as income sources and sources of food. Many agriculture activities

were disrupted by the occurance of this pandemic and this calls for a change of mindset on how

to structure a community dependency strategy moving from a more traditional way to a more

mordenised system. A system which can ensure that no member is left behind in terms of

development. In consultation with the government and financial institutions, the community

must develop investment vehicles that can sustain livelihoods and reduce overdependence on

agriculture systems that can easily be affected by the occurance of natural disasters such as the

Covid-19 pandemic. A suggested investment is a recycling plant. In coming up with this idea l, it

can be noted that every able bodied mber of the society can be employed. The middle aged and

elderly members can get money through collecting used materials and sell to the company.

Those who are able bodied work in the manufacturing plant in making new items from recycled

materials. This will increase the income in criculation in the community and uplifting the

standards of living of the community members.

Local and national organizations are critical to maintain and reinforce humanitarian operations,

particularly as international staff face restrictions on travel, will not be deployed to field

operations, and may be confined to isolation and working remotely(Ainsley, et al 2020). The

same applies to national staff, local authorities and local responders, although international

staffing will be more impacted due to greater reliance on international travel. In addition, the

scale of the response is such that efforts will also be required to reach and cooperate with non-

traditional partners, including technology providers, financial institutions, businesses and others,

in a multi-stakeholder collaboration approach.

Conclusion

With the world facing an unprecedented threat, there is an opportunity to emerge with stronger

systems, and improved global collaboration to face the next health threat. As the focus is on the

immediate response to the COVID-19 crisis, it is important to keep in mind the breadth and

depth of consequences already being felt across the globe. Leaders must learn the lessons of this

pandemic now and, in so doing, ensure that the response, wherever possible, leaves a lasting

positive legacy, and makes the world of the future a safer place. In view of the mobility and

interpersonal contact restrictions, creative monitoring approaches will have to be applied,

including remote monitoring through phonecalls to key informants and households, and third-

party monitoring. Monitoring should be attached to real-time learning that enables immediate

action and further improvements of the response.

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https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/situation-reports. Accessed

28 November 2020.

The Worldometer, (2020). COVID-19 CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC. 2020.

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus. Accessed 28 November 2020.

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Disease Modelling, MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, Abdul Latif Jameel

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