Abu Dhabi has been listed as having the world best Covid-19 preparedness and response strategy. Dubai has been ranked fifth, according to a ranking of 50 world’s cities.
The special analytical case study was conducted by Deep Knowledge Analytics.
The top-50 list also features Riyadh, Doha, Jakarta and Manila, but doesn’t include any South Asian city.
The study said the pandemic has revealed poor coordination and coherence between the national government, which takes action to treat the country integrally, and the municipal authorities, who have a better understanding of the local situation and needs of the city.
On the other hand, some of the municipal governments did not involve the local community and other stakeholders in the emergency response process, nor did they share enough transparency and consistency of protocols and procedures. Along with greater trust in the government and related institutions, this approach helps municipalities to respond to the crisis in a targeted manner.
The report said consistent, clear, and open communication between all parties is critical to finding better solutions, sharing knowledge, and maintaining discipline among the population, which in turn can mitigate the negative impact of the crisis. And vice versa, the lack of such action can lead to some form of rebellion against quarantine measures imposed by national or local governments, which can be seen at the perception of some cities, especially the western liberal democracies as the European Union and America, such as Berlin, Paris, New York, etc.
Another important aspect is having emergency preparedness mechanisms based on lessons learned from past events to detect and respond to a possible pandemic. Those countries that have developed national and municipal plans using their historical experience and switched to them swiftly have done a better job of containing the coronavirus attack. Among such successful cases are Singapore, South Korea, and the United Arab Emirates.
