COVID-19: Are community development scientists missing in action or missing the action?

Abstract

While the world waits in anticipation for a vaccine against the Covid-19 virus, controlling the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic is all about managing the movement of people. The lockdown principle introduced in many countries aims to keep people in their respective communities, which also means the closure of many formal to the informal local economies. During these times, politicians all over the world rely heavily on the input of scientists when making decisions. Amongst the scientists who seem to play a central role in this process are epidemiologists and economists. But, if this change process is also about communities and communal life, where are the community development experts? Everybody talks about moving to a “new normal” in our societies. If this is to be true, why are the community development specialists so quiet whilst it is all about restoring our communal life?