Thomson Reuters Foundation
28 April 2020
Multi-Media / 800-1500 Words
Islamabad, Pakistan
A solution in Pakistan to the economic distress caused by the coronavirus pandemic is also tackling another crisis at the same time: climate change. A program called 10 Billion Tree Tsunami employs workers who lost their job due to the quarantine by having them plant saplings all over the country. Wages aren't high, but it does offer workers an opportunity to feed their family until the crisis passes. The jobs created are focused in rural areas for women and other young people. The program is one of the few continuing through the pandemic, and already they have planted 30 million trees.
https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2020/3/10/21171722/taiwan-coronavirus-china-social-distancing-quarantine
Kelsey Piper
Vox
10 March 2020
Text / 1500-3000 Words
Situated less than 90 miles from China, the coronavirus outbreak could have been critical in Taiwan, but the country's proactive measures helped to stave off the worst of the disease. Having learned from SARS epidemic, Taiwan had prepared for future situations by creating a comprehensive command center and implementing a transparent communication strategy both of which have helped slow the spread of Covid-19.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/13/opinion/coronavirus-best-response.html
Benjamin J. Cowling
Wey Wen Lim
The New York Times
13 March 2020
Text / 1500-3000 Words
Singapore, Taiwan, and Hong Kong have each shown success with slowing the pace of the coronavirus outbreak due in part from learning lessons during the 2002 SARS outbreak. Combining different approaches to social distancing and quarantine, travel restrictions, and public health campaigns focused on hygiene best practices, the countries have shown that it doesn't necessarily take "China’s draconian measures" to mitigate the spread.
https://www.statnews.com/2020/03/11/flattening-curve-coronavirus
Helen Branswell
STAT
11 March 2020
Text / 800-1500 Words
As countries scramble to figure out how to stop the coronavirus outbreak, China is an example of how unprecedented measures to self-quarantine and self-distancing measures can work to slow transmission rates. Commonly refered to as "flattening the curve," this practice allows for the health-care system to avoid being overwhelmed with cases, which in turn means more people can be treated.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/04/world/china-coronavirus-wuhan.html
Amy Qin
The New York Times
4 February 2020
Text / Under 800 Words
Thousands of people in Wuhan, China are volunteering to buy groceries, get medicine, and take community members to the hospital as a means to help those that need it during the coronavirus outbreak. Although the volunteers do not knowingly transport anyone diagnosed with coronavirus, the drivers wear protective clothing during their drives, which are organized by local neighborhood committees.
https://washingtonmonthly.com/magazine/april-may-june-2020/how-to-save-elections-from-a-pandemic
Eric Cortellessa
Washington Monthly
16 March 2020
Text / Over 3000 Words
The coronavirus pandemic swept the nation at a time when many would be going to polling stations to cast their votes in primary elections, but vote-at-home practices are providing a solution for this civic inconvenience. Oregon, Washington, Colorado, and now Utah have all implemented statewide all-mail election campaigns that not only improve voter turnout, but also cost less to taxpayers than only relying on in-person polling booths.
https://www.routefifty.com/management/2020/03/crowdsourcing-fight-pandemic/163948
Maia Jachimowicz
Zachary Markovits
Route Fifty
20 March 2020
Text / 800-1500 Words
To address those that have been specifically impacted by economic crash due to coronavirus and to slow the spread, cities across the United States are enacting comprehensive measures to help. From a halt on all utility shutoffs to releasing inmates who have nearly completed their sentences or are being held pretrial on cash bail, local governments across the nation are looking for ways to address how the pandemic is impacting the most vulnerable.
https://www.mylondon.news/news/health/london-coronavirus-how-china-taiwan-17947421
Ian Molyneaux
My London
19 March 2020
Text / Under 800 Words
While some places such as the United Kingdom and London struggle to slow the spread of coronavirus, other countries such as China, South Korea, and Taiwan, have managed to contain the virus through fast-acting government regulations. Although each country's strategy looks different – China enacted a strict lock-down, while South Korea implemented widespread testing – they all acted rapidly to intervene.
https://thephiladelphiacitizen.org/virtual-tip-jar-philadelphia
Roxanne Patel Shepelavy
The Philadelphia Citizen
19 March 2020
Text / 800-1500 Words
As restaurants across the nation have been forced to close their doors during the coronavirus pandemic, some are turning to creative means to help account for the loss of revenue. In Philadelphia, restaurants have created a virtual tip jar to encourage patrons to "donate a tip" to a person or business while in San Francisco a restaurant owner has created a Facebook group that helps connect out of work servers with childcare jobs.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/06/business/europe-coronavirus-labor-help.html
Liz Alderman
The New York Times
6 March 2020
Text / 800-1500 Words
Europe's generous social policies, such as allowing employees to retain their salaries while taking sick time to care for themselves or family members, may help to mitigate the coronavirus outbreak while also safeguarding the economy. Although the long-term impacts are yet unknown, in the short term, government-provided incentives are helping people and businesses stay afloat.
https://qz.com/1816060/a-chart-of-the-1918-spanish-flu-shows-why-social-distancing-works
Michael J. Coren
Quartz
11 March 2020
Text / Under 800 Words
As coronavirus continues to spread around the world, social distancing is being implemented due to its proven success with helping to drastically slow the spread of the Spanish flu in St. Louis Missouri. In a comparison of St. Louis and Philadelphia – a city that did not institute social distancing practices – limiting the time in public spaces helped to keep per capita flu-related deaths in St. Louis "to less than half of those in Philadelphia."
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