Last update:
16-Sep-2021

Emergency and crisis communication management has been documented in the literature as a significant dimension of operational preparedness, particularly in the case of public health crises. Amid the recent Covid-19 pandemic, therefore, the psychological effects of the crisis have prompted international organizations, such as the World Health Organization (WHO), to issue recommendations and guidelines on more effective risk and crisis communication. This paper examines the ways in which the Greek authorities handled the communication aspect of the first Covid-19 pandemic wave in the light of its impact on the mental health of Greeks. Emphasis is placed on the importance of operational planning, and an early assessment of the management experience as a whole is attempted, along with estimation of the impact of communication management in the medium term. The multilevel effect of communication in crisis management has been shown to have such a degree of added value that the development of national communication plans is now deemed necessary.

Key words: Covid-19, Crisis communication, Crisis management, Operational planning, Operational preparedness.