A Novel Strategy for Communication to Drive Voluntary Compliance with Social Distancing in COVID-19 across Religious-Cultures in Mumbai India – The Case of ‘Cognitive Polyphasia’

Abstract

Under the complexity and uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, social distancing was found to be effective in containing the Coronavirus [1,2]. Social distancing entails isolation of people with symptoms of COVID-19; quarantines for people with confirmed COVID-19; prohibition congregations, and maintaining physical distance. Social distancing is a central non-pharmaceutical intervention for breaking the chain of infection transmission [3-6]. But compliance with social distancing is poor among members from different cultures compared to the general population [7,8]. Health authorities aspire to optimize compliance with social distancing [9,10]. Optimal compliance with social distancing emerges from personal responsibility for the greater good [11].