COVID-19: Africa challenged to ‘stay in’ but also to ‘reach out’

Kampala, Uganda | JULIUS BUSINGE  |  As world leaders continue to implement measures for fighting the spread of coronavirus pandemic, analysts say social distancing is key but people should ensure they remain connected.  

“In these challenging and unprecedented times there has never been more need to reach out,” said BCW (Burson Cohn & Wolfe), a leading global communications agency in a recent statement. “None of the usual routines apply and the big ‘quiet’ feels strange to us all,” it adds. 

As a result, BCW and its affiliate Brainchild Burson Cohn and Wolfe (BCW) in Uganda, has launched the #StayInReachOut initiative, which challenges people to reach out while they are all required to stay in.  

It aims to move people through difficult times by just making contact and showing they care through social media platforms, officials said. 

It asks individuals to identify a personal circle of contacts and commit to reaching out to them regularly, while ‘we’ are all staying at home.  

“We are committing to staying IN, but also to reaching OUT – to our colleagues, working remotely, perhaps feeling isolated and disconnected from their team members; to our clients, some uncertain how to navigate their communications needs; to people in our networks facing daily challenges of keeping businesses open and revenue coming in; to our friends in ‘lockdown’; and to our vulnerable family members with health fears,” BCW Africa Chairman and CEO, Robyn de Villiers explained.

Walter Wafula, the Business Unit Head – PR at brainchild BCW, Uganda said: “We are challenging others to join this movement, sharing #stayINreachOUT in their own spheres of influence in ways that are human, empathetic and relevant right now.” 

He said the initiative will run across Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.

This initiative is in line with the government’s COVID-19 fight strategy that has largely encouraged people to stay home and distance themselves from crowds.

A total of 55 cases of COVID-19 had been reported and confirmed by
government by press time on April 19.