COVID-19 Lockdown Policy: An Analysis of School and Workplace Closures

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of COVID-19 lockdown policies, specifically focusing on school and workplace closures. It begins by defining the policy and presenting key statistics to highlight its importance. The report discusses the governance structure, including the role of the World Health Assembly and the Director-General. It outlines the vision, aims, and objectives of the COVID-19 policy, such as managing the pandemic's impact and ensuring public safety. The historical context of pandemic responses and the influence of social, cultural, economic, political, and environmental factors on policy development are examined. Key stakeholders, including healthcare professionals, governments, NGOs, and the general public, are identified, and their roles in policy formation are discussed. The report details the processes and interventions implemented, such as mandatory face masks, social distancing, and work-from-home policies, while also addressing gaps in the policy. Finally, the report evaluates the effectiveness of the policies in mitigating the spread of COVID-19.

Covid 19 Lockdown School and
Workplace Closures

TABLE OF CONTENT
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY..................................................................................................................................3
BACKGROUND.............................................................................................................................3
Defining the policy:.....................................................................................................................3
BODY OF ESSAY..........................................................................................................................3
Governance:.................................................................................................................................3
HISTORY........................................................................................................................................4
CONTEXT.......................................................................................................................................4
Actors...........................................................................................................................................5
Process.........................................................................................................................................6
Policy evaluation.........................................................................................................................8
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................8
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................1

INTRODUCTION
COVID-19 is one of the most common term in today's world, this is one of the deadliest
virus that causes millions of death. COVID-19 have impacted almost every human activity, from
health to business each element was impacted. Certain policy is been crafted by the government
and WHO to address this issue and manage health process in the world. This report will discuss
definition of policy and key statistics (Fauci and et.al., 2020). Later this report has discussed
vision, aim and objective of this policy and will understand influence of political and other factor
on policy. Later this report has discussed key stakeholder involved and their influence on policy
with stakeholder mapping. Later this report has discussed process that highlight intervention and
gaps in the policy. At last policy evaluation will be discussed to examine effectiveness of the
policy in the process.
MAIN BODY
BACKGROUND
Defining the policy:
COVID-19 is one of the most common but crucial issue in today's world, every nation
was impacted due to this pandemic. Government and WHO crafted certain policy that allow
every nation to manage COVID-19 impact, COVID policy is one of the best intervention to
manage this issue in the world (Glover and et.al., 2020). Policy simply mean a set of certain
action and intervention need to be taken to ensure they work effectively to manage COVID
impact, this may include introduction of lock down, wearing of mask and maintaining social
distancing. COVID policy play vital role, statistical data represent data that ensure why COVID
policy is important to implemented.
BODY OF ESSAY
Governance:
Governance take place with the process of World Health Assembly that carry most power
to make decision and influence every policy draft presented. Assembly decide whether, policy
will reach its final end or it will process for further modification. Director general is head of
Assembly in which his signature is important to make draft a final policy. WHO is one of the
most powerful decision maker that have ability to implement one policy in every nation. For
example; WHO implemented COVID policy that is implemented all around the world like

wearing of mask, maintaining social distancing and lock down, these are basic policy that every
nation have to adopt as per the guideline of the WHO.
There are certain vision, aim and objectives of COVID-19 policy, these are:
 Vision: The vision of COVID policy is to address COVID-19 issue with the help of
certain intervention including wearing of mask and lock down.
 Aim: The aim of this policy is to manage critical situation arrived due to COVID-19 and
to provide the best intervention to every individual.
 Objectives: To manage critical issue arrive due to COVID-19. To keep every individual
safe with the help of certain intervention. To reduce any chance of spreading COVID-19
in the world.
HISTORY
Every pandemic in the history of human life has spread because of less social measure,
before COVID-19, there was certain pandemic which have provided policy that can be used in
COVID situation. For example; Ebla Virus Disease have provided policy of social distancing
allowing government to take social distancing measure in COVID-19.
CONTEXT
COVID-19 have powerful impact on the world, WHO and other nation took steps to craft
best COVID policy that allow them to manage COVID-19 situation in the world. The
development process of COVID policy was impacted due to certain factors, these are:
Social factor: Social factor was one of the most important factor that have its own impact on
COVID policy, this is related to every individual and their social interference. Policy was
influenced with social factor because implementing it becomes major issue (McBryde and et.al.,
2020). For example; implementing social distancing and making it compulsory to wear mask,
preference of individual and their social interaction influenced the policy development. Before
designing COVID policy, WHO analysed social interference as every individual will be involved
under the policy.
Cultural factor: This was another important factor that have great influence on development
and implementation process of COVID policy, WHO and every nation have to consider cultural
interference. Culture of every nation is different from each other, for example, wearing of mask
in some culture will be problem. WHO and government can not disrespect any cultural diversity

with this policy, there were certain changes made in the process of developing COVID policy,
these changes are designed to meet the expectation of the policy and cultural difference.
Economical factor: Economic of every country was badly impacted due to COVID-19, when
WHO and other nation was developing COVID policy, they consider economic well fare with
this policy. For example; every country will get medical supplies when needed, under this policy,
under developed countries was covered. Economical factor impacted policy for example if any
country is not well stabilized then COVID policy will be modified accordingly. Economic
instability of every nation have impacted development and implementation of COVID policy in
their nation.
Political factor: Political factors have great influence in developing and implementing COVID
policy in the world, every nation have their own influence. Different nation have their own
process of managing COVID but still they have to follow guideline provided to every country.
Political factors simply means nation and their involvement in the designing and bringing change
accordingly (Yuki, Fujiogi and Koutsogiannaki, 2020). For example; if any nation's policy do
not suite policy of WHO then they can modify this according to them, if any nation is having low
number of COVID-19 cases then they can avoid lock down. WHO make changes according to
the requirement of the nation.
Environmental factors: Environmental factors have major impact on COVID policy, WHO and
other nation took certain step to manage environment and wildlife. This policy cover almost
every living thing in the world, COVID-19 is dangerous for every one that is why this policy was
design accordingly. Environment protection campaigned was run by every nation to take certain
measure to manage COVID-19 and its impact in the world.
Actors
The major stakeholders in the policy formation Covid 19 includes heath care
professionals including nurses, government of varying countries, paramedical staff, NGO and the
general public. The health care professionals, government and the sweepers have played a major
role during the lockdown period. With the help of health care professionals, major government
authorities were able to determine the intensity of the COVID 19 and used the information in
order to formulate the policies which can help the general public in saving themselves from the
spread of COVID 19. On identifying that the COVID 19 is communicable disease and high
infectious and can easily be spread through air, the government authorities decided to form

policies such as using face masks, maintaining social distancing and not leaving home until and
unless it is necessary. The NGOs such as The British Red Cross were helpful in saving the poor
from the spread of COVID19 and helped the poor people by providing them with shelter and
food within the country (Berry, and et.al 2021). The NGO were also helpful in raising fund in
order to help the people suffering from the diseases of COVID19 within the boundaries of
United Kingdom. The paramedical staff was also very helpful during the times of lockdown.
They helped the citizens of the country by providing them with regular cleaning services within
nation when the whole country was horrified with the outbreak of Corona Virus. The
paramedical staff served the citizens by providing them with cleaning services within the
hospitals as well as within the residential colonies.
Similarly, the Government of the country came up with several policies within the
country which can be found useful in stopping the spread of Covid 19. The policies included
various health policies such as asking the citizens of the country to implement the use of face
masks, keep social distancing in order to stop the spread of the disease. The outbreak of Corona
virus was also affecting the economy of the country as most of the organization had to shut their
operations because of the impositions of lockdown across the varying countries in the World.
Due to this, the government of the country was facing losses and facing a downfall. therefore, the
government came up with the policies of working from home and enhancing the use of
technology in order to carry out each and every process that can be carried out while working
from home. Similarly, the government of United Kingdom also came up with the use technology
in order to continue the education and classes of the kids within the nations as the due to the
lockdown, the students were unable to go to schools and this was hampering their education.
Process
The major policies implemented by the government of United Kingdom in order to
protect the citizen from the outbreak of corona virus within the country included mandatory face
masks, maintaining the social distancing at public places, ensuring that the organization provide
their employees with health insurance, medi claims, and other such benefits, implementation of
work from home policies, ensuring digitalization of the schools in order to continue the
education of the kids within the schools. All of these policies had their own benefits and
advantages and were found helpful in saving the citizens of the nation from getting attacked by
the Corona Virus. Mandatory face masks, maintaining the social distancing at public places were

developed in order to protect the citizens from developing the symptoms of Corona virus as it
was communicable disease. Similarly, the implementation of work from home policy and
increasing the use of online tools in order provide lectures to the students were formed, so that,
the citizens of the country can continue to work with respect to their specific fields and the
students can continue to learn without affecting their health by coming out of their homes
(Piguillem, and Shi, 2020).
The issuance of specific policies such as providing medi claim and health insurance to the
employees of a company, were created in order to make sure that each and every individual has
the assets in order to claim the required treatment within the national boundaries of United
Kingdom. The NHS and the Government of the United Kingdom also took initiatives in order to
develop a vaccine which protect the public of the country from being affected the spread of such
disease.
there are certain gaps where were determined during the process of formulating and
implementing the policies with respect to the Covid 19. It has been determined that since, the
doctors were also research about the cause of COVID 19 and did not really had any facts which
could help them in determining their course of action, therefore, there were certain gaps in the
within the policies of the Covid 19. In the first phase of Covid 19, the doctors asked the old age
people to take precautionary steps and also developed strategies which could help the old age
citizens of the country (Betsch, and et.al 2020). This was so, because, earlier, it was determined
that the COVID 19 has only capable of affecting the old age audience within the country.
However, it doctors, government and the health care professionals of the country determined in
the second layer of corona virus that the general public belonging each and every age group must
take the precautionary steps as it is capable of affecting the people of any age. These were found
to be the major gaps in the policy formulation within the United Kingdom.
These policies promoted the concept of equality as the policies with respect to the Covid 19 in
the United Kingdom were same for each and every individual within the country. Also, it has
been noted that the policies developed in relation to the covid 19 helped the government of the
United Kingdom in lowering down the number of cases within the country. The policy of using a
face mask was found to be very helpful in reducing the number of cases within the country.

Policy evaluation
It has been analysed that the major cause of spreading the Covid 19 was communication
as the virus was capable of spreading through air, coughing, sneezing, touching and any other
physical action which involve a touch. Therefore, the policies of the government and the NHS
with respect to restricting the spread of Covid 19 were found to be effective in slowing down the
number of covid cased within the country (Hsiang, and et.al 2020). The policy of using a face
mask while talking to an individual was effective in stopping the spread as it was restricting the
germs which are borne out of coughing, sneezing, communicating from passing on to another
person. Similarly, the use of PPE kits for the health care professionals and paramedical were
effective and resulted in a positive outcome. The doctors and other health care workers needed to
work among the patients suffering from the corona virus were at a high risk of getting infected
with same. But, the use of PPE kits was quiet helpful in the process of safeguarding the doctors
from the virus. Also, it was helpful in safeguarding the paramedical staff whose duty was to
make the environment clean by eliminating the waste of humans and removing the dirt from the
hospitals as well as residential areas.
The implementation of policies such as work from home helped the government of
United Kingdom in protecting a large population which were at a huge risk of getting infected
from the disease in the need of working for the survival of themselves and their families. The
work from home policy provided them with the opportunity to work from home without having
to affect their health. Similarly, introducing online classes for the purpose of continuing the
learning process of the students helped the children in carrying out their education even while
sitting at their homes. Also, safeguard the children from being infected by the chronic disease of
corona virus. Since, the children were not allowed to play outside their homes and were not
allowed to leave their homes, it helped the government in protecting the children from getting
affected by such disease (Hale, and et.al 2021). Therefore, it can be stated that the various
policies developed by the government, NHS and the healthcare professionals of the country were
effective and helpful in reducing the number of cases.
CONCLUSION
From the above report, it can be concluded the policies of the government of United
Kingdom with respect to the COVID 19 were quiet effective in nature. The policies such as
mandatory face masks, use of PPE kits by the health care professionals and the para medical

staff, maintaining social distancing at public places, working from home, online education were
helpful in protecting the public of United Kingdom within the country. However, the government
should determine ways in which these policies can be enhanced and the country can easily
enhance their safety of the citizens within the nation.

REFERENCES
Books and journals
Berry, C.R., and et.al 2021. Evaluating the effects of shelter-in-place policies during the
COVID-19 pandemic. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 118(15).
Betsch, C., and et.al 2020. Social and behavioral consequences of mask policies during the
COVID-19 pandemic. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 117(36).
pp.21851-21853.
Fauci and et.al., 2020. Covid-19—navigating the uncharted. New England Journal of
Medicine, 382(13), pp.1268-1269.
Glover and et.al., 2020. A framework for identifying and mitigating the equity harms of COVID-
19 policy interventions. Journal of clinical epidemiology, 128, pp.35-48.
Hale, T., and et.al 2021. A global panel database of pandemic policies (Oxford COVID-19
Government Response Tracker). Nature Human Behaviour. 5(4). pp.529-538.
Hsiang, S., and et.al 2020. The effect of large-scale anti-contagion policies on the COVID-19
pandemic. Nature. 584(7820). pp.262-267.
Le and et.al., 2020. The COVID-19 vaccine development landscape. Nat Rev Drug
Discov, 19(5), pp.305-306.
McBryde and et.al., 2020. Role of modelling in COVID-19 policy development. Paediatric
respiratory reviews, 35, pp.57-60.
Piguillem, F. and Shi, L., 2020. Optimal COVID-19 quarantine and testing policies.
Yuki, K., Fujiogi, M. and Koutsogiannaki, S., 2020. COVID-19 pathophysiology: A
review. Clinical immunology, 215, p.108427.
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