Mitigating Cognitive and Behavioural Biases during Pandemics Responses: Open-science / evidence-based methodologies for the development of epidemic combating policies

The transformation of societal systems cannot be determined solely by any technological or economic assumed rationality. Rather, there is a wide range of social, political, and institutional factors that interact in a systemic fashion and influence their development. In managing Covid-19 pandemic, several compelling narratives seem to have played a significant role in the decision-making processes regarding which risk mitigation and management measures to implement. Many countries were to a large extent unprepared to such situation, even though forecasts about a significant probability in a pandemic to occur existed; national governments of several countries often acted in an uncoordinated manner, which resulted in many inconsistencies in the disaster risk-reduction processes. Limited evidence has also paved way for strategic narratives meant to persuade the public of the chosen set of actions, even through the degree of uncertainty regarding the outcomes of these was large, further complicating the situation. The acknowledgment of the multiple factors at stake in handling the crisis has more often than not been omitted from public communication, where public officials' statements mostly framed the problem unilaterally, basing their narratives on warnings coming from the medical and public health scientific community