Resistance to COVID-19 health and safety rules and regulations
Debasish Mridha, once said, “Most suffering comes from the failure to adapt and resistance to change.” As the COVID-19 pandemic sweep across the continents, people experience fear and stress, which are natural reactions whenever humans are faces with changing situations. Covid-19 is a severe respiratory illness that spreads fast through cough, sneezes, and during close contact. In response to this global health crisis, the government and health organizations have implemented rules and regulations such as the prohibition of public gatherings, washing hands, wearing masks, social isolation, and avoiding kissing, handshaking, and hugging. However, implementing the rules is becoming a challenge due to people’s resistance because they feel pushed out of their comfort zone and are having difficulties dealing with the unfamiliarity of the new implications.
Causes of resistance to change
There are various causes of people’s resistance to the changes implemented in response to COVID-19. One of the reasons for resistance is that people find it difficult to stop doing what they are attached to (Kotter & Schlesinger 163). I have experienced this with my family and friends. For example, my family and friends view things such as hugging, kissing, and shaking hands as ways of promoting attachment and connections. These practices have been part of our traditions for years. However, due to COVID-19 regulations, we are forced to stop these practices. At the begging, adapting to such changes introduced by health organizations was difficult among my family and friends because we viewed them as inconveniences that were making us lose our freedom. It is difficult for people to change their viewpoints or abandon the old behaviors they feel they have to lose something for the unknown (Yilmaz & Gokhan 18). People will always resist change because they find it challenging to deal with their emotional attachments. Religious practices have also been part of our family. However, with COVID-19, people are hindered from attending religious functions. Requiring people to abandon their culture and spiritual practices which they are attached to makes them resist the change COVID-19 rules. To some people who strictly follow religious practices, it may be difficult to stop them. For instance, one of my neighbors thought that it was unethical to prevent them from attending religious gatherings. According to them, it is essential to participate in the religious gathering to pray so that God helps us deal with the disease instead of staying at home.
People are also resistant to changes imposed by the government in response to the COVID-19 because they believe that the rules and regulations can damage their interests (Kotter & Schlesinger, 163). In the beginning, most of my friends were afraid of embracing the regulations lest they lose their jobs and financial resources. One of the government requirements in response to COVID-19 was social distances. This implies that some people, especially those working in places that attract social gatherings. For instance, some of my friends working in restaurants had to stop working since some restaurants closed down. People usually want to maintain their status quo by working and earning income. However, with COVID-19 measures, this has been difficult because social distancing strategies do not favor some workplaces. The fear of losing their sources of income and facing poverty makes some people resistant to COVID-19 measures. Some people are forced to work to settle their bills. The fear of being overwhelmed by bills and debts due to quarantine and social distancing issues make people afraid of embracing the changes imposed by the government to curb the spread of the COVID-19. My family and friends resisted the COVID-19 rules in the beginning because they thought it interfered with their needs-fulfillment. People usually resist changes that lower their income, job status, and social relationship. These changes have been witnessed during the implementation of the COVID-19 regulations.
The other factor that contributes to resistance to the COVID-19 rules is that people do not believe that there is a real threat that requires them to change their lifestyles (Kotter & Schlesinger 164). It first when the media announced the COVID-19 regulations, my friends and neighbor thought that the government was just exaggerating the seriousness of the illness. As such, they did not see the importance of changing habits such as social distancing and staying in their houses. They viewed activities such as the washing of hands as banalities. As such, they did not pay attention to the directions given by the government at the beginning. This was attributed to the lack of sufficient information regarding the spread of COVID-19. People resist changes whenever their knowledge and skills are obsolete. Due to a lack of adequate knowledge, some people may resist change because they are not sure what is expected of them, as far as the implementation of the COVID-19 rules are concerned.
The other reason that causes resistance to the COVID-19 rules and regulations is that it is part of human nature to resist change. To some people, rules and regulations are bad because they interfered with their freedom. According to Pennington (1), people’s brains are wired to resist change. As such, the amygdala part of the brain interprets the changes as a threat to the body whenever a change is introduced. As a result, the hormones of fear are produced. This was true for my family and friends. They became fearful and anxious about the changes introduced after the COVID-19. They were not sure about the implications of the changes. To them, the changes would cause instability in the society. Some people are still resistant to the rules and regulations because of the fear of the unknown. People feel secure with the events they are used to in society. This implies that they are more likely to feel insecure if they are forced to abandon their old systems. The new and unfamiliar methods of addressing the COVID-19 spread made people feel frustrated. This makes them nostalgic and wishes to retain their old ways (Yilmaz & Gokhan, 17).
Solution to resistance
Resistance to COVID-19 rules and regulations can be addressed with various strategies. Among the strategy includes Education and Communication (Kotter & Schlesinger 173). As discussed earlier, many people, including my family members, need to see the need to change their behaviors because they lack information regarding the spread of the COVID-19. The government and health organizations should focus on creating awareness of the importance of compliance with the COVID-19 rules and regulations. Through compelling education and communication programs on mass media, the public will see the significance of the rules. As such, cases of misinformation that promote resistance to the change of behaviors will be adequately addressed. In the case of COVID-19, there is much misleading information on social media, which influenced especially my friends and family not to see the seriousness of the illness in the beginning. However, with effective education and communication about the spread of the disease, people began to understand the importance of required practices such as hand-washing, mask-wearing, and social isolation.
The other strategy for addressing resistance to the COVID-19 rules and regulations is participation and involvement (Kotter & Schlesinger 173). This strategy is especially important when designing the change processes. For the case of COVID-19, the public should be involved by asking them for ideas and involving leaders from various aspects such as religious leaders to participate in the process. Engaging the people in the implementation of the COVID-19 rules and regulations will change people’s beliefs and attitudes towards the change process. For instance, those attached to their religious beliefs and view the regulations as unethical will change their approach if religious leaders are involved in educating the public about the COVID-19 rules and regulations. This involvement will make people feel that the rules and regulations will benefit them rather than just those implementing them. When implementing a change, the commitment of members is vital. Participation and involvement of community members help in increasing their engagement in the change process. It also makes them trust the changes process. This is vital because if members trust the process and feel valued, they will be more likely to own the change process. Consequently, the resistance to change will be adequately addressed.
The other strategy for reducing resistance to the COVID-regulations is the facilitation and support (Kotter & Schlesinger 173). As mentioned earlier, one of the causes of resistance to the rules and regulations was the economic implications and the regulations’ interference with need fulfillment. As such, facilitation and support from the government and donor would reduce resistance to behavioral changes. This strategy will be useful because it will help reduced resistance caused by emotional issues and hardships. For instance, due to the COVID-19, some people, including my friends and family members, have lost their jobs. To convince such people to embrace the rules and regulations that are meant to reduce the spread of the disease, the government must support them financially. This will help in making the environment more pleasant for the affected. Apart from financial help, some people may meet emotional assistance. Adjusting to a new way of living due to social distancing may be difficult. This especially true for those who have to deal with loneliness and depression because of being forced to stay in their house alone. Being alone and having no one share problem with during this pandemic can be frustrating. As such, to encourage people to accept the change, there need for emotional support. Facilitation and support help in addressing fear anxiety that makes people resistant to changes.
The other strategy that would make people accept rules and regulation of COVID-19 is the explicit and implicit coercion (Kotter & Schlesinger 173). This strategy involves the use of authority to force people to accept the change process. This is especially helpful in the case of COVID-19, where speed is especial to manage the health crisis. This strategy is useful for those who, even after knowing the seriousness of the illness, are still not willing to comply with the rules and regulations set by the government health experts. The authorities have to apply force to make people embrace social distancing and wearing masks in public places to stop the spread of the disease. This is attributed to the fact that failure to comply with the rules and regulations by one person may affect others. As such, this strategy is useful since it ensures that the interests of all members of the society are met.
Conclusively, the effort of the government and health experts to implement the COVIOD-19 regulations is being challenged by people’s resistance to change. This is attributed to the fact that people do not know how to deal with the changes brought by the COVID-19 rules and regulations. For instance, people are finding it hard to deal with the economic impacts created by the rules and regulations. The social distancing rules have made some people lose their jobs. For people to embrace the change implemented by the government and health experts, it vital for the government to address the insecurity, financial, and belief issues affecting people. To motivate people to embrace the rules and regulations, there need to make people see the importance and the urgency of complying with the rules and regulations. This can be addressed through strategies such as awareness creation and involvement of the public during the implementation process. The government should also support those affected to change their attitude towards the rules and regulations. With the nature of the health crisis, the government should also use other strategies such as explicit and implicit coercion to force people to embrace the changes because they are urgently required to do it to address the health crisis.
Works cited
Pennington, Chris. “People are Hard-wired to resist change”. Change management. 2020.
https://emersonhc.com/change-management/people-hard-wired-resist-change
Kotter, John & Schlesinger, Leonard. Choosing strategies for change. Boston, Ma.: Harvard Business Review, 1979.
Yilmaz, Derya & Gokhan, Kilicoglu. “Resistance to change and ways of reducing resistance in Educational organization”. European Journal of Research in Education. Vol 1 (1):14-21. 2013.
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