Social impacts of zero-COVID policy on airline workers in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

ABSTRACT

After the COVID-19 epidemic began in 2020, many countries have adopted the Zero-COVID strategy that imposes social distancing. While that approach contained the virus's spread, its societal effects remain worrying. Studies on impacts of the containment policy have hitherto concentrated on economic development and as yet little is known about how sectors and governments helped employees cope with the crisis. To address this knowledge gap, we analyse the impact of Zero-COVID-19 policy on Vietnam Airlines employees in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, where the government implemented strict social distancing from 2020 to 2021. Surveys and interviews show that company policy responses focused on employment and finances, ignoring the offline and online stigma that airline employees faced due to the coronavirus. Social labels and social capital seem to worsen these measurements. The fact that airline employees, part of Vietnam's middle class, were vulnerable during the crisis reveals lack of long-term planning and risk solutions in policymaking.

KEYWORDS:

• Airline employees
• COVID-19
• flight attendants
• social impacts
• social labelling
• stigma
• Vietnam

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Thi Kim Phung DANG

Dang Thi Kim Phung is a researcher holding MSc and PhD degrees in Policy and Management from Wageningen University in the Netherlands. She is passionate about governance, social change, policy evaluation, and the interplay between humans and nature.

Thuy Ngan LUONG

Luong Thuy Ngan studied sociology at Ton Duc Thang University (Vietnam). She has worked for Vietnam Airlines for 14 years, mostly as a cabin attendant and now as a chief flight attendant. During this time, she obtained experience in several jobs and a strong understanding of the work, responsibilities, and aviation policies.