Politicians, policy makers and public servants have never faced a situation like this. They immediately need policies that really work. Best practices can serve as an inspiration, a starting point and a proof of concept.
Allocation of free university resources for Covid-19 testing
A platform helps to allocate free university resources to laboratories for corona testing.
Full citizens rights for migrants and asylum seekers during Covid-19 outbreak
Portugal gives temporary citizenship rights to migrants and asylum seekers to grant them equal access to the health care and social security system.
Reconfiguring streets for physical distancing
The city of Portland gives more space to pedestrians and cyclists to make sure that commuters can move freely in times of physical distancing.
Providing information for voluntary services
To allow for smooth and un-bureacratic administrative support for voluntary services, the regional government of Rhineland-Palatine has set up an information initiative.
Collective responses to global health emergencies
A platform invites local and regional governments of all sizes to share their initiatives tackling Covid-19 and other health emergencies.
Crowdsourcing data to visualize maps to identify current and potential hotspots
To make it possible for public health officials to evaluate anonymized real-time data on the spread of Covid-19, a platform asks citizens to provide live updates on their health conditions.
Take-away library books
A Swedish library organises contactless pick-ups of books outside the library to provide reading material during the lockdowns.
Government loans for small businesses
To support businesses with fewer than 500 employees, the city of New York offers a loan-based Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).
Successfully organizing blood donations
To make blood donations possible, an online platform was created that allows citizens to book personal appointments in special donation facilities.
A list of evidence sources for health- and social-system leaders
To provide political leaders, civil servants and other decision-makers in the political and public sphere with a knowledge base, McMaster University put together a list of evidence sources.
Providing citizens with iPads for virtual family reunions
To make it possible for families to reunite at least virtually, the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde are supplying their wards with 100 iPads, complete with FaceTime, Skype and Zoom.
Government platform to recruit retired or unemployed health professionals
The French Ministry of Solidarity and Health launched a platform to recruit volunteers and health professionals who are unemployed or retired.