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.
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 fund to support the creation of new artistic work for the public benefit
Ireland’s Arts Council is introducing a special fund enables Irish-based artists to make the art they created during Covid-19 related lockdown accessible to the public.
Production of antiseptics from confiscated ethyl alcohol
To tackle the shortage of antiseptics, the Greek Ministry of Health decided to produce disinfectants with confiscated products that are currently at hand.
Regional youth platform
The municipality of Reggio Emilia created a new section on its website where young people can find local online projects and services.
A remote learning city
To make as many learning resources available online, the City of Gdynia offers a variety of online platforms, online services and websites.
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.
A remote system that allows politicians to discuss and vote on matters from a distance
The Brazilian House of Representatives and the Senate agreed to implement the Remote Deliberation System (SDR) to ensure a working congress during lockdown.
Organising an online City Council meeting
Ghent (Belgium) councillors followed the council meeting online on their home computers. It was the largest digital council meeting ever held in Flanders.
Multilingual education material
A Norwegian platform offers educational material in Norwegian as well as in the country’s main immigrant languages.
Helping governments to understand and compare policy responses
The government response tracker is designed to help researchers, policymakers and citizens understand whether increasingly strict measures affect the rate of infection, and identify what causes governments to implement stricter or less strict measures.
Public volunteer programme to support a country’s health structures
To meet the growing demands within a country’s health system, a volunteer programme for doctors, nurses, paramedics, psychologists, and students and retirees with a health or nursing background was set up.
Making international best practices in policy available to politicians
For both, policy makers as well as politicians, in times of crises it is imperative to have a comprehensive database of policy options at hand.