As no more cases have been confirmed since February 4, 2020, Macau’s preventive measures should be considered adequate, but its prevention communication is not without flaws. Lessons learned from Macau’s prevention communication are discussed in this section.
Risk Perception
The preventive measures cover a wide range of daily life. Some of the measures seem to be draconian at first glance, but they are not unfounded; they are all stemmed from the purpose of limiting crowds, thereby reducing the possibility of community outbreak. Considering that no community outbreak has happened in Macau, it is suffice to state that these measures are indeed collectively effective.
Most of these measures were imposed prior to Lunar New Year, which is a significant traditional festival in Chinese culture. Most citizens seem to have complied to the advised actions and avoided gathering during Lunar New Year. This could be explained by that the perceived high risks from the imminent danger outweighed the benefits from festivities. The public’s perception of risks is probably cultivated from the constant massive information feed from social media which is a phenomenon that was not experienced in the SARS epidemic.
On the other hand, when we compare the possible consequences of the climate crisis to that of the COVID-19 epidemic, the scale of damage of the former is much greater and long-lasting. Logically, we should have had plans in place to mitigate and adapt to rising sea levels as Macau is at a quite vulnerable location. Nonetheless, the government and citizens of Macau have not taken proactive climate actions which is ironic since Macau has already been afflicted by super typhoons, storm surges, and floods caused by climate change. What could partially explain this is also risk perception. If a threat is not perceived as immediate and close to oneself, it is challenging to urge actions. By then, we will have to develop strategies to communicate the consequences of inaction and make the public care enough to drive actions. Yet, risk communication is on the delicate balance of generating rational action and mongering fear and should be performed with deliberation.
Language
As the number of non-Cantonese-speaking workers and immigrants (e.g. from China, the Philippines, Portugal) is growing in Macau, it is necessary to communicate preventive measures in these languages for adequate outreach. Although the Coordination Centre now disseminates information in Cantonese, Mandarin, Portuguese, English, and Chinese sign language through a variety of media including broadcast, print, display, and social media, most of the press releases, updates, and reports are still only in Chinese and Portuguese and staff at public services and facilities primarily communicate to the public in Cantonese. Some of the population groups could be, as a result, excluded form crucial information and act uninformed, imposing danger on themselves and others unintentionally and unknowingly. Prevention communication, therefore, requires consideration of the demographic composition.
Lack of Science Communicators
Science communication is the dissemination of science-related knowledge and information to the general public. There are many types and formats of science communication and of course science communicators also come in many different varieties. They usually have a background in STEM and could be public engagement and public relations officers in research institute, lecturers, museum curators, comedians, and science slammers, etc. Generally, science journalists are also considered as a type of science communicators because they convert complex science-related knowledge to reporting that is digestible by the public. Good science communication can help the public understand complex issues better and act rationally. With a defined target audience, good science communication can reach out and convey crucial information to them while also listening to their concerns.
However, science communication is still an emerging field in Macau, so science communicators are low in supply or they are simply not officially regarded as science communicators. Macau should, therefore, allocate more resources in science communication and training programmes for science communicators. This could not only lay a foundation for better prevention and risk communication, but also nurture a rational society with a culture of science.
Digital Literacy and Exclusion
As internet connection and access to social media is commonplace in Macau, digital seems to be the optimal way to disseminate prevention information and updates of the epidemic. However, the use of this channel assumes that most people have acquired a decent level of digital literacy. The assumption may be true, but a group of people is excluded from important information. Traditional media should hence still be used to reach those who do not have access to internet or a basic level of digital literacy. Community announcement system and broadcast vehicles could be deployed to compensate the shortcomings of online dissemination as well, just as Macau have been doing (Figs. 3 and 4). A hotline for public inquiry is another more accessible way for clarifying the public’s doubts and intaking public opinions. Digitization is inevitable; to create an inclusive digital environment, user interface and user experience should be a high priority. Digital literacy programmes should also be provided at the same time to close the digital divide. International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions’ (IFLA) guidelines on public internet access in libraries could be a reference for action [27].
Too Much or Too Little Information?
There is an infodemic in the midst of the COVID-19 epidemic. The common use of social media could be a factor for this phenomenon. As not much is known about SARS-CoV-2, people are desperate to know more and tend to grasp on whatever information that is available to them. The same information, be that facts, speculations, myths, or rumours, is being circulated continually on social media and fed constantly to its viewers. This could generate a false consensus effect which is an attributional type of cognitive bias where one overestimates how many people agree with a certain matter. People then may potentially act or react based on the misinformation which they believe to be facts agreed by many.
Fortunately, Macau has not experienced major mass irrational responses, except the two instances where people did panic shopping for groceries and emptied many shelves of supermarkets. To assure residents that supply will be stable, the Macau government performs daily inspection and survey to report prices and inventory of different items. There have not been any panic shopping reported ever since. In this case, we can see that that particular irrational behaviour stemmed from the lack of information. Offering facts can diminish anxiety and irrational behaviours, but a better and more proactive way to counter misinformation is to make science communication a regular activity, which is explained previously.
Supporting STEM Advancement
Macau is more well-known for tourism and its infamous gaming industry. STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) advances are rarely associated with Macau; or they are not commonly celebrated. Exceptions include the discovery of a new species Nanhaipotamon macau in 2018 [28] and multiple new species by a local entomologist Chi Man Leong: Meristolohmannia macaoensis in 2018 [29], Dimiodiogalumna ilhaverdeensis in 2018 [30], and Leptanilla macauensis in 2017 [31]. While Macau Foundation and Macau Science and Technology Development Fund grant financial support to associations, groups, and individuals for science-related activities, the popularization of such activities still remains to be a challenge and their impacts are yet to be determined.
The swift mobilization of research grant of Macau Science and Technology Development Fund offers incentive to push scientific research on COVID-19 in local research institutions. This is possibly a response due to the Fund’s perceived risk of the epidemic. However, open science and open access are not mentioned as a focus for funding. These two aspects of research should be emphasized because they remove barriers in science and facilitate scientists to communicate and work better. To truly lend a hand in STEM advancement, open science and open access should be criteria of funding at the first place, but not an afterthought.
Moreover, with open science and open access, science communicators can easily catch up with recent development in STEM by directly obtaining information from the source, i.e. the research articles, and then create digestible contents for the public, who can later verify with the source. As a result, not only STEM advancements can be known and celebrated by the public, the public can also learn and practice scientific thinking.