Crisis Response Tools

COVID-19: Five essentials for your response plan

COVID-19 is an unprecedented challenge; and tackling it takes time - a lot of time. Many governments, stretched thin with more demands than resources, may leave planning by the wayside. However, planning is crucial – and a little bit goes a long way. This document illustrates how small amounts of time spent in key planning areas can significantly improve your crisis response both now and in the long term.

Tool #1: Tools for crisis response planning

Every good delivery plan begins with a simple question: “What are you trying to achieve?”

This document describes five steps governments can take to improve their planning:

• Identifying important goals
• Finding good data to track progress on these goals
• Empowering leaders
• Holding leaders accountable for delivering on their promises
• Communicating frequently and transparently with the public

Also included is a summary of key metrics and actions for a COVID-19 delivery plan. While crisis, by definition, leaves little time for much else, investing a little time in these five steps will significantly improve your delivery and shift your response from reactive to proactive. Read the document to learn more.

Tool #2: Key metrics and actions for a COVID-19 delivery plan

Having a solid understanding of what you hope to accomplish is the foundation of every good delivery plan. To help you set, track, and reach your COVID-related aspirations we created this guide, which lists desired COVID outcomes, along with the actions to take and metrics to track in order to deliver. The information is based on research, dialogue with public health experts, and consultations with government partners around the world. 

By compiling these important COVID aspirations, outcomes, and actions, we hope to simplify your planning efforts so that you can focus more on what matters most – delivering for the people you serve. Page one outlines guidance for managing the disease (testing, contact tracing, etc.) while page two offers metrics for supporting society through economic relief, continuity of services, and more.