Overview of Disaster Preparedness and Response Strategies Regarding COVID-19 Crisis Control for Public Safety and Health Protection

The ongoing Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak has incurred tremendous human, social, and economic costs, globally. Major economies across all continents are struggling to contain the COVID-19 pandemic and to flatten the infected curve.  This study focuses on critically reviewing the strategies opted globally to control COVID-19. The main objective of this paper is to overview the pandemic conditions, responses of the public, and actions of the governments with  the  aim to  highlight  the  importance  of  public health  preparedness  and  risk  management  strategies. The current study    uses    an    organized    method    of    locating,    assembling, summarizing, and evaluating the literature on COVID-19 control strategies adopted in different countries. It overviews the conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic in the countries hardest hit by it. The study uses the systemic literature review method to overview, summarize, and organize the literature regarding COVID-19 spread control strategies. A comprehensive Disaster Management and Response System (DMRS) strategy can be productive in limiting the pandemic spread and may also help to flatten the curve. The current study,  based  on  the  experiences of different  countries,  frames  a DMRS  strategy  to  contain  COVID-19  which  includes immediate government intervention, early recognition of the crisis, removal of cognitive  and confirmation biases,  political  and  religious biases, consensus development,  establishment  of a central  command  and control   center,   public   engagement,   integration   of   institutional functioning  using  ICT,  maintaining the medical  supply  chain, limiting  public  mobility  and  mass  gathering,  practicing  social distancing,    quarantining    and    isolation,    clear    and    effective communication for information dissemination, massive testing, and the use of ICT for information sharing, alerting, contact tracing and surveillance