Compassion over Stigma

The final chapter of this books reflects back on the Zero-COVID-19 approach, and in particular the social and political impacts that arise from it. It recognizes that the efforts of the Zero-COVID-19 approach ultimately saved lives and stands out as a notable and important policy approach to pandemic management. While taking pride in success is one matter, relying on pride to build stigma, and feeling that stigma was necessary to succeed at pandemic management is quite another. The chapter concludes that stigma was not a helpful factor in Zero-COVID-19 approaches, and ultimately only harmful. It proposes a better way forward by borrowing conversations from the field of oncology, where narratives, compassion, and listening are brought in as core dynamics of care. This proposal envisions a more inclusive and compassionate approach to pandemic management, one that does not rely on stigma but on understanding and support. It asks whether or not the Zero-COVID-19 approach could be better if these approaches from oncology had a place within the policy framework.