{"id":2372,"date":"2020-05-20T11:28:31","date_gmt":"2020-05-20T01:28:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/gci-insights\/?p=2372"},"modified":"2020-06-19T15:06:31","modified_gmt":"2020-06-19T05:06:31","slug":"can-we-really-rely-on-people-to-isolate-when-theyre-told-to-experts-explain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/gci-insights\/2020\/05\/20\/can-we-really-rely-on-people-to-isolate-when-theyre-told-to-experts-explain\/","title":{"rendered":"Can we really rely on people to isolate when they\u2019re told to? Experts explain"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Patrick O’Leary<\/a>, Amy Young<\/a>, Donna McAuliffe<\/a> and Jennifer Boddy<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This spotlight was first published on \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A country-wide shutdown is now in place for non-essential activities<\/a>. At the weekend, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said \u201cfar more Draconian measures<\/a>\u201d were needed to ensure people adhered to social distancing and self-isolation requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The latest measures include bans on all non-essential travel, stricter domestic border control and school closures<\/a> in some states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite experts\u2019 pleas to practise social distancing, Sydney\u2019s Bondi Beach was teeming with people on Friday. And although the beach was closed on Sunday, some still refused<\/a> to comply<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the coronavirus crisis continues to unfold, to what extent will the public heed advice? And with many facing the prospect of a potentially lonely six months<\/a>, how long before people start to preemptively emerge from their cocoons?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rule-breakers abound<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Currently, individuals required to self-isolate include those returning from overseas, those who have been exposed to a confirmed COVID-19 case, and those travelling between certain<\/a> states<\/a>. Everyone else should be practising social distancing<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of us are already incorporating social distancing into our everyday interactions. When offered a hug or a handshake, you may wonder: \u201cam I supposed to say \u2018no\u2019?<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Self-isolation is now a legal requirement for those it applies to, with heavy penalties for non-compliance<\/a>. Prime Minister Scott Morrison even encouraged us to \u201cdob\u201d in anyone who doesn\u2019t comply<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet, reports in the media<\/a> indicate not everyone is following the rules, whether due to misunderstanding, plain defiance, or a \u201ctesting\u201d of how strict the rules are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One man who was told to self-isolate visited a supermarket<\/a> on his way home from a COVID-19 test. Another person who was tested then travelled to New Zealand<\/a>, after which the test came back positive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s the cost?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Compliance can be partly attributed to a group\u2019s sense of risk. During the H1N1 crisis (swine flu) in Australia, despite intense media interest, compliance with self-isolation measures worsened once swine flu was deemed a pandemic<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When this happened, Australians perceived the flu as having relatively mild symptoms, and this lowered the perception of individual risk. People became less afraid, and less compliant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The swine flu also highlighted differences between social groups in relation to compliance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Researchers found that<\/a> across a number of countries, older, more educated and socially advantaged people were more likely to comply with recommended behaviours. Those who were younger, with lower levels of education were less likely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Authoritarian and democratic responses<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Some have speculated the authoritarian structure of the Chinese government made it easier to enforce isolation and social distancing in China. This has led to suggestions that an authoritarian response might be an effective <\/a> way to tackle COVID-19, while more individualistic attitudes (like those held in Australia) could enable its spread<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, a society whose government displays proactive<\/a> (rather than delayed) leadership, and a capacity to deliver important resources, will likely be empowered to observe restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Australia currently has a short window to mitigate COVID-19<\/a>. While it\u2019s still early days, we may have a similar or slightly better trajectory<\/a> than Japan and Taiwan. Compliance to social distancing and isolation measures will determine this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s no immediate reward for adhering to these measures. Indeed, Australians may not reap the benefits for many months. And some evidence suggests<\/a> that over a prolonged period, people initially following rules may become complacent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To counter this, effective communication from authorities<\/a> will be paramount. Messages should convey both the gravity of the risk, and positive reinforcement of civic duty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Achieving this balance could be challenging, but it\u2019s worth it. Research indicates people are willing to comply with rules they don\u2019t even necessarily agree with<\/a>, or see benefit in. This is especially true when the rules derive from a society\u2019s shared moral concern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, rules which govern smoking in public spaces are generally respected due to society\u2019s overall negative view on passive smoking<\/a>, especially when it impacts children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the case of COVID-19, social distancing rules align with principles of caring for older Australians<\/a>, and other vulnerable groups. Sustaining this concern will be important in the coming months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to encourage compliance?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Different demographics display different levels of compliance in times of crisis. Considering this, authorities should avoid a \u201cone size fits all\u201d communication strategy when imploring people to fulfil self-isolation and social distancing requirements. For instance, Norway\u2019s prime minister held a children\u2019s only COVID-19 press conference<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the swine flu outbreak, different regions showed different preventative behaviours based on the region\u2019s leadership style<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mexico achieved more effective social distancing, face mask use and better hygiene practices than other countries. This has been attributed to the Mexican government\u2019s visible encouragement of such behaviours, and support from the army in distributing masks<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Australia, we\u2019ve already seen people react fearfully to the prospect of enforced isolation, with some hoarding supermarket goods and fighting over products<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scenes like this indicate a fear of social order breaking down<\/a>. At such times, the public\u2019s level of compliance will depend on our leaders\u2019 capacity to deliver important services, act early and proactively to slow COVID-19\u2019s spread, and display a united front.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This will influence our collective sense of risk which, coupled with knowledge about the virus and a concern for others, will encourage compliance \u2013 particularly in the short-term. In the long-term, we\u2019ll need even stronger social and psychological support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\"The\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Patrick O’Leary, Amy Young, Donna McAuliffe and Jennifer Boddy This spotlight was first published on A country-wide shutdown is now in place for non-essential activities. At the weekend, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said \u201cfar more Draconian measures\u201d were needed to ensure people adhered to social distancing and self-isolation requirements. The latest measures include bans on all […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":74,"featured_media":2375,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[101,103,108,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2372","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-covid-19","category-psychology","category-public-health","category-spotlights"],"acf":[],"modified_by":"Keiran Hardy","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/gci-insights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2020\/05\/download.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paNLK1-Cg","jetpack-related-posts":[],"featured_image_thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/gci-insights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2020\/05\/download.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/gci-insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2372","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/gci-insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/gci-insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/gci-insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/74"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/gci-insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2372"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/gci-insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2372\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/gci-insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2375"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/gci-insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2372"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/gci-insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2372"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/gci-insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2372"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}