COVID-19 Innovative Response Tracker

A set of measures is now in place to facilitate the remote participation of MEPs in committees, enabling them to view and listen to proceedings, ask for the floor and speak in meetings. Arrangements to allow MEPs to express themselves in the language of their choice ensures respect of the linguistic regime. On 20 March, the Parliament’s Bureau decided to supplement its earlier decision on voting methods, to allow, upon a decision by the President, a derogation in the context of the current…

The UK Houses of Parliament have agreed various new procedural measures to enable it to function through a combination of socially distanced in-person activity and remote digital activity. Select Committees are able to meet remotely and participate in official proceedings through conference calls and digital conferences. The Speaker of the House of Commons also will publish in advance the order of speaking in debates, never done before, thus enabling Members to know when they are needed in the…

The COVID-19 Mobility Data Network is a network of infectious disease epidemiologists at universities around the world working with technology companies to use aggregated mobility data to support the COVID-19 response. Their goal is to provide daily updates to decision-makers at the state and local levels on how well social distancing interventions are working, using anonymized, aggregated data sets from mobile devices, along with analytic support for interpretation. The site provides a platform…

China has launched an app that allows people to check whether they have been at risk of catching the coronavirus.

he home quarantined coronavirus suspects and patients will have to send their selfies on the Quarantine Watch, a mobile application developed by Karnataka government's revenue department to keep a track of the isolated persons. The government warned the home quarantined people that they will be sent to mass quarantine centres if they violate the rule. In a press release, Karnataka Medical Education Minister Dr K Sudhakar directed all home quarantined persons to enroll themselves and send their…

Innovation Norway has allocated NOK 178 million in an effort to support the country’s internal tourism industry, amid the Coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19), the Norwegian Business Ministry announced this week. The main purpose of the move is to promote Norwegian tourism to Norwegians. The Ministry hopes that the citizens will choose their closest holiday country for this summer, under Government approval. The Minister of Trade and Industry asked Innovation Norway to make its marketing the new…

The close contacts under self-quarantine are linked to their one-on-one assigned government staff through an innovative ‘safety protection app,’ which allows the staff to monitor their symptoms twice a day, and be alerted when self-quarantine orders are broken. This tracking of the phone’s GPS location is done only with the consent of the close contacts. Those under self-isolation are banned from leaving the country regardless of whether or not they develop symptoms. Those violating…

The National Association of City Transportation Officials has created a COVID-19 Transportation Response Center. City governments and transit agencies are on the front lines of responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and are rapidly developing policies and projects for this emergency. NACTO will continually update this webpage with guidance and tools, including: Rapid response tools for cities, with implementation strategies City transportation action updates from around the world Webinars,…

Milan is to introduce one of Europe’s most ambitious schemes reallocating street space from cars to cycling and walking, in response to the coronavirus crisis. Under the nationwide lockdown, motor traffic congestion has dropped by 30-75%, and air pollution with it. City officials hope to fend off a resurgence in car use as residents return to work looking to avoid busy public transport. The city has announced that 35km (22 miles) of streets will be transformed over the summer, with a rapid,…

Uzbekistan's 'COVID-19 Challenge 2020' is an online competition for innovative tools and solutions to mitigate the consequences of coronavirus pandemic in Uzbekistan. The organisers received 600 applications in just two weeks. Most applications are aimed at implementing educational projects in eight areas.