Difference in stress-related indicators between employees experiencing partial and complete lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic in Pakistan.

OBJECTIVES: The present study aimed to compare the stress experience of employees facing to differentiated types of lockdown situations: total vs. partial. It also aimed to identify the cognitive appraisal, coping, stress, and fear of contracting COVID-19 associated with lock down situations among employees. METHOD: A cross-sectional research design was employed. The sample comprises two groups (n = 490 in each group), complete lockdown (people working from home) and partial lockdown (people going to workplace), and was drawn from Pakistan using purposive sampling technique. Stress Appraisal Measure, Brief COPE Inventory, Perceived Stress Scale, and Fear of Contracting COVID-19 Questionnaire were used to measure cognitive appraisal, coping, stress, and fear, respectively. RESULTS: Independent sample t-test showed that the threat and uncontrollable appraisal was high in people going to workplace as compared to people working from home. Results of binary logistic regression showed that people going to workplace were more likely to cope with COVID-19 situation through seeking instrumental support, behavior disengagement, acceptance, and religion as compared to people working from home. Moreover, people working from home were 0.84 times more likely to cope through emotional support than people going to workplace. Fear was found to be 1.1 times more likely associated with people going to workplace than people working from home. CONCLUSION: This study would help administrative authorities and government institutions in designing mental health services for working population. It would help the emergency departments in devising first aid management plan to deal with the psychological needs of the workers under pandemic/lockdown situations.

COVID-19 pandemic, government response, and policy implications in China, India, Iran, and Pakistan (CIIP).

COVID-19 has been considered as a catastrophic global health response mechanism and demonstrated the international preparedness for the outbreak as well as government initiatives. This study aims to evaluate the comparative analysis of government response in China, India, Iran, and Pakistan (CIIP) countries regarding their policy enforcement on combating COVID-19 by using stringency, socioeconomic, and health containment indices. The proposed study analyzed the policy implications in CIIP from January 1, 2020 through July 21, 2020. Data have been collected from the European Union, World Health Organization, Humanitarian Exchange, and a selected National Database. Results show that despite a high degree of government's strict policies in India and Pakistan, they have been failing to control the brutality of the COVID-19. In contrast, the politics of China and Iran appear to be very successful in combating the situation in COVID-19. This study concludes that countries with ample resources and stronger coping strategies should provide developing countries with the mean for mitigating and improve their socioeconomic and economic crises, which hindered their consistent policy enforcement during the COVID-19 pandemic.

COVID-19 pandemic control and administrative issues in Pakistan: How Pakistan mitigated both pandemic and administration issues?

COVID-19 is wreaking havoc all around the globe, and Pakistan bears no exception. This study explores Pakistan's response toward controlling COVID-19 Pandemic from the day the 1st case was reported, February 26, 2020, in Pakistan until August 31, 2020. It explores the administrative conflicts among federal and provincial governments and political behaviors of political parties toward the COVID-19 pandemic by referring Government Response Index. By applying the ARDL model approach, results show that since the administrative harmony had been implemented in Pakistan in July 2020, its positive impact on combating the COVID-19 situation in Pakistan and substantial improvement in recovered cases and a downward trend new confirmed and fatal cases has observed in Pakistan. The findings demonstrate that administrative efforts scattered due to internal conflicts from February to mid-July 2020 have ended, and collective aggressive policy enforcement has been mitigating the adverse impact of COVID-19 in Pakistan since July to date. However, sustainable measures and prudent policy implications are needed to combat the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and future calamities.

The Role of E-Governance in Combating COVID-19 and Promoting Sustainable Development: A Comparative Study of China and Pakistan

This study’s aim is to investigate the role of e-governance in combating COVID-19 by integrating the implications of the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). We discuss and analyze the E-Government Development Index (EGDI) reports and rankings issued by the United Nations and big data implications during the COVID-19 pandemic. We used the Origin-pro 2018 application for the analysis and discussion. Overall, China’s EGDI ranking has improved from 74 to 65 out of 193 countries, while Pakistan’s ranking has gradually declined from 137 to 148. 5G and other big data technology and e-governance implications have helped to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. In this pandemic scenario, sustainable socioeconomic development in Pakistan needs significant improvement, similar to what has been done by China. We conclude that CPEC can help combat the COVID-19 pandemic because both countries are working together to mitigate social and economic problems. Pakistan should adapt and learn from the Government of China’s experience of successful and proficient e-governance model of technological advancement. This effort will ensure successful CPEC regional extension and help combat the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure Pakistan’s sustainable development.

China health technology and stringency containment measures during COVID-19 pandemic: A discussion of first and second wave of COVID-19.

This short communication highlights the Chinese health and stringency containment measures in the background of technology deployment and development during the COVID-19 pandemic in China. By achieving the study objective, this communication takes Health Containment Index and Stringency Response Index as independent variables and COVID-19 new confirmed cases as the dependent variable in the period January to October 2020. Applying simple linear regression analysis and china's technological revolution shows that china's 5G technology in the containment policies and medical support played a vital role in combat the first wave of COVID-19. These measures have remained sustainable and consistent, which made China resumption the economy and state development affairs. Furthermore, the second wave of COVID-19 was also under control due to sustainable policy enforcement during the first wave. In strengthening the health system and e-government system, China's 6G successful invention will make china's institutional structure to the next level and sustainable in combating future calamities and projected forthcoming waves of COVID-19.

Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on sustainability determinants: A global trend.

For the last six months till today, the world had had no luck in defeating COVID-19. This study examined the impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on sustainability determinants, with the time arisen from December 27, 2019, through June 30, 2020. This study considers quantitative COVID-19 dashboard data with sustainable determinants; old age group, people exposed to air pollution, and countries with the most international travelers. Applying linear regression examines that COVID-19 behavior concerning the aging population and countries host the most international travelers, more positively significant than people exposed to PM2.5% air pollution, respectively. This study made a novel contribution by analyzing two variables' interaction; first, the aging population and the countries that host the most international travelers. Secondly, the aging population and people exposed to air pollution are vulnerable to COVID-19 globally, a novel concept comprehensively. Results show that countries with aging populations are more exposed to COVID-19, and its interaction term host the most international travelers. It also analyses that the aging population and its interaction with people exposed to air pollution are also vulnerable to COVID-19 but marginally lesser than the former. However, their behavior varies from country to country, making room for future study to analyze a more in-depth analysis. It gives a different dimension to consider other risk factors of COVID-19 by bearing in mind its unique contagious characteristics, which will help policymakers draft a sound epidemic preparedness policy to tackle the unforeseen crisis. It gives a thought of provoking to policy practitioners for the risk characteristics of COVID-19, which needs a reassessment to epidemic risk management to deal with this, and future unforeseen crisis by considering Sustainable Development Goals.