Story Search Results

Advanced Search

There are so many ways to search the solutions journalism stories in this database. Explore our searchable fields:

Search Results

You searched for: -

There are 225 results for your search. View and Refine Your Search Terms

Courts rule

Emma Athena

August 20, 2020 |

Boulder Weekly |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Massachusetts

Almost half of U.S. states guarantee citizens’ rights to petition for ballot measures, but the coronavirus made gathering signatures in person infeasible. Massachusetts courts allowed electronic signatures, but other states have not approved virtual citizen initiative campaigns. Ballot initiatives allow citizens to advance solutions and enact structural changes without relying on support from elected officials. MA groups used DocuSign to gather 30,000 signatures to get a proposal for ranked choice voting on the ballot. Not all MA groups were able to quickly or successfully pivot to the e-signature process.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Flu was all but eliminated in South Africa this year. Coronavirus is to thank.

Lesley Wroughton Max Bearak

August 18, 2020 |

The Washington Post |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: South Africa

When South Africa's government implemented measures to protect its citizens from the spread of COVID-19, it also drastically reduced its flu cases down to 1 single case for its winter season as a side effect. Stringent mask requirements and complete school closures, along with a sharp increase in people getting flu vaccines, contributed to South Africa's record-low flu season, despite being one of the countries with the highest recorded cases of coronavirus.

Read More
Go to Original Story
How Taiwan is battling coronavirus with tech, crowdsourced data and trust

Jessica Yarmosky

August 17, 2020 |

Public Radio International (PRI) |

Radio |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: Taiwan

Taiwan has recorder fewer than 500 cases of COVID-19, and it is largely due to the country's reliance on "digital platforms to keep the public updated about medical supply availability and to monitor the status of quarantining citizens." From strict quarantine protocols – that include both monetary incentives and consequences – to a crowdsourcing app that shows mask availability, technology is driving much of Taiwan's response.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Here's a look at the security precautions in Colorado's mail-in ballot system

Rachel Lorenz

August 13, 2020 |

Colorado Politics |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Colorado

Colorado has fine-tuned an effective mail-in ballot protocol for statewide elections and has one of the highest voter turnouts. Ballots are stored in tamperproof locked rooms that are continuously monitored and voters’ signatures are compared by bipartisan election judges to signatures in a state database. An audit of election results is also conducted to ensure the accuracy of the results. Officials in other states are reaching out to learn more about Colorado’s system, which is well-suited to keeping voters safe during a pandemic, but a lot goes into the system’s success and it takes time to implement.

Read More
Go to Original Story
As Malheur County struggles with pandemic, other rural counties provide clues to control

Pat Caldwell

August 13, 2020 |

Malheur Enterprise |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Wheeler County, Oregon

Several rural counties in Oregon and Idaho have managed to slow the spread of the coronavirus through early intervention strategies and community compliance. Although the low population and rural nature of the regions also played a role in the success of the counties, the areas still adopted tactics such as mask-wearing and social media campaigns and implemented collaborative efforts between elected and emergency officials. Because of these efforts, several of the counties have been removed from Covid-19 watch lists.

Read More
Go to Original Story
In New Zealand, Life Was Ordinary Again With No Virus Spread, But It Didn't Last

Laurel Wamsley

August 10, 2020 |

NPR |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: New Zealand

New Zealand has been able to nearly eradicate Covid-19 due to rapid intervention strategies taken by the government that were predicated on quickly identifying clusters of cases and implementing rigorous contact tracing. Although the country went 101 days without a single case reported, a few cases have once again surfaced. However, because residents had already been using a contact tracing smartphone app and were "encouraged to add masks to their emergency kits," many were prepared for the onset of any new cases.

Read More
Go to Original Story
How New Zealand went 100 days with no community coronavirus transmission

Julia Hollingsworth

August 10, 2020 |

CNN |

Multi-Media |

Under 3 Minutes

Response Location: New Zealand

New Zealand went 100 days without a single new case of Covid-19 after implementing strict restrictions which included "no takeaways, no beaches, and no driving outside of your neighborhood." Because of the government's quick action, the county remained in lockdown for only seven weeks. The government is now keeping focus on elimination rather than eradication as it is expected that the virus could resurface.

Read More
Go to Original Story
How San Francisco succeeded more than other U.S. cities in fighting the coronavirus

Christina Farr

August 08, 2020 |

CNBC |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, San Francisco, California

San Francisco has reported thousands of cases of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, but public health experts believe it could have been far worse had the city not implemented early protocols and procedures. An early adoption of mask wearing and remote working as well as ceding communications and guidance to scientists helped keep the hospitals below their maximum capacity and avoid overburdening available resources.

Read More
Go to Original Story
The world has shown it's possible to avert Covid-caused election meltdowns. But the U.S. is unique.

Ryan Heath

August 06, 2020 |

Politico |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States

Several countries successfully held elections during the Covid-19 pandemic and can offer insights for how the U.S. can hold a safe presidential election. These include providing more funding for additional polling places and poll workers, expanding ways for people to vote so that it is easier, requiring protective equipment and social distancing at the polls, allowing officials to process mail-in ballots before election day, and informing the public about any changes to contradict misinformation campaigns. It could be harder in the U.S. due to its size and the complexity of electoral laws across the states.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Arizona was a Covid-19 hot spot a month ago. Here's how it's turning things around

Dakin Andone

August 06, 2020 |

CNN |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Arizona

In May, Arizona began removing coronavirus restrictions after seemingly containing the spread of the virus, but by June, the state's caseload was in a drastic incline. Learning from the mistake of reopening too soon, officials paused the reopening and reimposed measures such as mask wearing and business closures. Since then, the caseload has decreased significantly and earned praise from White House officials.

Read More
Go to Original Story