Outbreak 24: Simulation of a highly-lethal pandemic
Invited by the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung Panama, international experts rehearsed crisis management within a highly lethal pandemic outbreak simulation designed by the Bureau fuer Zeitgeschehen.
What would happen if a highly contagious, highly lethal variant of the SARS virus were to break out and the world were faced with a pandemic of apocalyptic proportions? At the invitation of the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung Panama (KAS)/ Regional Program Alliances for Democracy and Development with Latin America (ADELA), a group of international experts from four continents played out this extreme scenario in a three-day simulation under the guidance of the Bureau fuer Zeitgeschehen (BfZ).
“Outbreak 24” was the title of the event to which renowned experts from nine countries and four continents were invited in November 2021 to the Foundation’s own Villa La Collina on the shares of Lake Como. In multiple simulation rounds, introduced by aggravated developments in a “breaking news” format, participants were placed in a state of maximum uncertainty. Using a specially developed dynamic computer model, the teams were able to simulate the course of the pandemic in their countries depending on the government interventions taken. As representatives of nine governments, they had to make profound decisions in a very short time on issues of public health, the performance of critical infrastructures, security of supply and economic life, public safety, bilateral and multilateral exchange relations. Coherent and well-coordinated crisis communication towards their own populations and on an international scale played a crucial role.
The sober realisation: We always manage the last pandemic. To prevent a catastrophe, global coordination and cooperation are essential – and in the absence of alternatives, the EU would have a key role to play.
- The filmmakers DIE ZWO have covered the event
- “Breaking news” clips during the simulation – Part 1 – Part 2
- The simulation was covered by the Spanish Newspaper Política
- Adriana Amado, a journalist from Argentina, analysed the workshop and her insights in this video podcast
Video: Long Version
Production company: DIE ZWO
The simulation was also reviewed in the Spanish newspaper Política: Article
Two participants from Argentina analyzed their findings in the following video podcast: Tweet
