WASHINGTON — The American Psychological Association applauded Congress and the president for swiftly enacting $8.3 billion in emergency funding in response to the coronavirus, but also appealed to the public to remain calm and heed the best scientific advice to deal with the spread of COVID-19.
“The American Psychological Association commends Congress and the administration for this important first step,” said APA President Sandra L. Shullman, PhD. “We call on Congress to pass additional reforms to tackle this developing epidemic and to modernize Medicare to eliminate other important access barriers for our nation’s seniors, who are some of the people most affected by this virus.”
The Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act extends $8.3 billion toward comprehensive, government-wide efforts to fight the coronavirus, including allocating funds for research, development of vaccines, prevention and treatment services. The legislation also temporarily waives Medicare telehealth restrictions, allowing more older adults to continue to receive essential health and mental health treatment, including at their home, during this public health emergency period — potentially helping to minimize exposing others to the virus.
Psychological research shows that people feel more anxious when confronted with unknowns. This can lead to negative behaviors, such as avoiding or discriminating against people perceived to be associated with the disease, particularly Asian Americans, who are no more likely to be infected than anyone else.
“APA urges the public to remain calm since the likelihood of most people becoming sick from the coronavirus is low,” Shullman said. “The fact that there is a great deal of news coverage on this issue does not necessarily mean that it presents any threat to most of us. We should all follow the advice of the medical experts who are cautioning us all to wash our hands and stay home from work or school if we feel sick.”
APA also warned against blaming marginalized groups for the spread of COVID-19, noting that such discrimination could increase stress levels within these communities deter some people from seeking needed testing or treatment. An increasing number of news reports document numerous instances of stereotyping, harassment and bullying directed at people perceived to be of Asian descent following the coronavirus outbreak.
“Expressions of bias, stereotyping, discrimination and microaggressions directed at any particular racial or ethnic group in themselves constitute public health risks, as documented in a large and growing body of research.” Shullman said. “Such behaviors can increase risk for transmission of communicable diseases due to the climate of fear that they engender.”
APA urged the public to seek information from reputable sources to reduce the risk of further transmission of the virus, and to quell fears.
APA has posted helpful information about the coronavirus on its website.