COVID-19 News for State and Local Leaders, 08/28/20

Welcome to our weekly roundup of articles and resources for state and local leaders creating policy to help combat the COVID-19 pandemic as well as steering the social and economic recovery for their communities. Postings below do not convey endorsement of any particular organization or opinion contained in links.

The Perils And Promise Of America’s Legacy Cities In The Pandemic Era

Putting legacy cities on the road to recovery and prosperity is key to mitigating harmful regional imbalances in the U.S. economy, and their demographic legacies make them linchpins in the country’s efforts to achieve greater racial equity.

Getting Old Needs a New Look

Covid-19 has exposed the lethal vulnerabilities of nursing homes and assisted-living facilities. Can better design make aging safer?

Pandemic Has Expedited Digitization Of Government Services: Survey

Tight budgets, legacy systems and bureaucracy have historically prevented governments from going digital, but COVID-19 has tipped the scale for operations to move online.

AI May Not Predict The Next Pandemic, But Big Data And Machine Learning Can Fight This One

In Spain, a new observatory processes epidemiological, mobility and environmental data to manage COVID.

Sacramento May Pay People $1,000 To Stay Home When Infected By Coronavirus

The moment is pivotal, and the county is under pressure to perform, health officials say.

To Get People to Wear Masks, Try Comparing Them to Seatbelts and Helmets

A new survey looks at what the government can do to influence mask-wearing. Only one message had any positive effect.

Iowa Will Make $100 Million In Federal Coronavirus Aid Available To Farmers

The CARES Act aid comes as Iowa farmers are navigating the simultaneous effects of the coronavirus pandemic, derecho and drought.

Want Contact Tracing to Work? Consider the Demographics

A new study suggests that age, gender and even the region of the country being targeted with virus-tracking technology could have a lot to do with its success rate. Experts urge a tailored approach.

Silent Trains To Masks: US Cities Fight To Revive Public Transport

A drop in public transport ridership puts urban liveability at stake, researchers and advocates say.