EROPA's online roundtable discussion on “Recalibrating Inclusive Health and Economic Recovery in Southeast Asia: From Zero-COVID-19 to Living with COVID-19”

Almost two years into the pandemic, many countries in Asia began to rethink and recalibrate their pandemic management strategies. Some have been generally successful in keeping COVID-19 at bay, while others have been forced into severe mobility restrictions and lockdowns several times already to prevent their health systems from being overwhelmed. All these countries face growing economic pressure due to the combined effects on consumption and investment of the chilling effect of COVID-19 and often severe mobility restrictions and economies locked down. 

Nevertheless, progress in vaccination offers a light at the end of the tunnel, even as scientists have begun to re-think the plausibility of herd immunity. It is critical to understand why “zero-COVID-19” may no longer be feasible and what practical alternatives there are in terms of “living with COVID-19”, as these may finally start to define the new normal.

To facilitate a more profound understanding of this policy issue, the Ateneo School of Government, through the Ateneo Policy Center, in partnership with the Eastern Regional Organization for Public Administration (EROPA), hosted an online roundtable discussion titled “Recalibrating Inclusive Health and Economic Recovery in Southeast Asia: From Zero-COVID-19 to Living with COVID-19”, on 19 January 2022. 

This policy roundtable discussion featured emerging lessons from Southeast Asia regarding countries’ pivot from “zero-COVID19” to “living with COVID-19”. The discussion featured two main country types. First, there was a focus on countries that have, more or less, successfully flattened the COVID-19 curve and kept morbidity and mortality rates very low. These countries included Singapore and Taiwan. On the other end of the spectrum are countries that have continued to struggle with containment—notably with new COVID19 strains, like the delta-variant. These countries included the Philippines and Indonesia.

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