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.
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.
Virtual court hearings during Covid-19
To replace in-person court hearings during the coronavirus crisis, video conferencing allows involved parties to go through with court proceedings.
Free temporary bike sharing
The bike-sharing system in Berlin can be used for free for the first 30 minutes to make it more easily accessible.
A platform that tells citizens how they can support their government
The government of Ontario started an initiative to empower citizens to help fight coronavirus. Citizens can offer emergency products and innovative solutions or volunteer to support the government’s response to Covid-19.
Government offers free webinars for a “safe home office”
The government of the Austrian province Lower Austria offers free and publicly accessible webinars on the topic of “Secure Home Office”. They inform citizens on how to protect themselves and their data.
Online political education for children
The German Federal Centre for Political Education recorded several hours of classes and educational material to familiarize youths with political topics.
Virtual assistant providing reliable information
In Latvia, an easily integrable chatbot offers reliable information on Covid-19.
A conference to start a global conversation about the implications of Covid-19
To identify practical next steps for local contexts, the OECD will facilitate an international conference on the potential implications of the coronavirus crisis.
Infoservice on Telegram
A city sends latest Covid-19 updates via Telegram directly to its inhabitants.
Free online state library
Access to digital library service is opened up online, to offer reading materials while closing the physical libraries.
A municipality’s free online home fitness service
To keep its citizens fit during quarantine, the municipality of Chiavari, in partnership with health professionals, started free online fitness classes.
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.