Yangon, Myanmar: Uniting the public through risk communication
By March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic had put thousands of workers out of work in Yangon and become a serious health threat. Authorities decided right away that a mass media campaign focused on behavior change would be key for preventing wider spread of the virus and avoiding drastic shutdown measures down the line.
Overview
Published: October 2020
Yangon, Myanmar is known for its architectural mix of colonial architecture alongside traditional pagodas covered in gold leaf and studded with jewels. Now, it is using an innovative media mix to raise awareness on COVID-19 and protect its citizens.
The People’s Health Foundation, in close collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Sports, in April 2020 launched a mass media campaign to promote safe behaviour during the COVID-19 crisis and to increase solidarity with patients and medical staff. The “Let’s beat COVID-19 together” campaign ran for six weeks on TV, radio and on Facebook. The mass media campaign came together in a very short period of time, when the urgency of the COVID-19 crisis in Myanmar had become clear and Yangon was put under strict stay-at-home orders and a curfew.
Read the full case study: Yangon uses media mix to boost solidarity against COVID-19
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